Integration of virtually real construction model and design-for-safety-process database

In most countries, the construction industry is one of the most dangerous industries. Safety in construction is a complex issue and is influenced by many factors, such as the technology being used, worker behaviour, actual site conditions and, of course, the design being constructed. Given this background, safety hazards identification and accident precautions are important elements in any construction site safety management system. The development described in this paper has produced a visualization of the construction process that can be used to assess safety hazards. The aim of the research is to produce a design-for-safety-process (DFSP) tool. This will help to identify safety hazards inherited during the building construction phase that are actually produced during the design phase. The domain, in which this particular application is being developed, is a typical 40-storey Hong Kong Housing Authority residential block. In this paper, the components of DFSP tool are discussed. The components of DFSP tool comprise of virtually real construction components and processes, virtual reality functions, and DFSP database. The integration of these components enables a user to do a walk-through in the virtually real project and to identify safety hazards inherited within construction components and processes as well as to select accident precautions needed to prevent the occurrence of accidents. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V, All rights reserved.