Exploratory Study Of Potential Negative Safety Outcomes Associated With Uav-Assisted Construction Management

A variety of technologies have been implemented in the construction industry at an increasing rate. With the on-going development of assistive remote sensing and information technologies, as well as computer vision techniques, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have a great potential to influence construction performance positively in terms of safety, quality, cost, and schedule. However, the implementation of UAV-based technology can bring new safety risks to construction stakeholders. Previous research studies on the topic have touched on the potential negative impacts of using UAVs on construction projects, but the safety concerns have not been adequately studied. This exploratory study aims to identify and summarize the construction safety risks associated with the use of UAV-assisted management methods in construction projects. The authors identified and categorized the safety concerns using an extended review of scholarly and industry publications on the topic of UAVs in construction. To propose effective solutions to mitigate the potential safety risks associated with the use of UAVs in construction, the hierarchy of control (HoC) for safety management is utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of each solution. As a result of the use of the HoC, each proposed/identified potential solution is evaluated in terms of effectiveness to eliminate a certain type of hazard. The present study makes an important contribution to practice by identifying safety risks associated with the use of UAVs in construction and highlighting solutions to mitigate potential safety risks associated with the use of UAVs. It is expected that industry professionals and practitioners could use the presented knowledge to identify the safety risks construction workers are exposed to and implement proper controls to mitigate the hazards and prevent incidents from occurring.