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Emerging Technologies, Tools, and Methods for Enabling Safer, Healthier, and More Productive Work Settings in Construction Project Management

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction Management, and Computers & Digitization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2025 | Viewed by 25665

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Fei Dai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Wadsworth Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, West Virginia University, P.O. Box 6103, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Interests: digital construction; infrastructure informatics; safety and health; musculoskeletal disorders in construction; automated visual surveying; exoskeletons in construction
Dr. Zhenhua Zhu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
Interests: construction robotics; human–machine interaction; construction automation; data sensing and analysis; project delivery systems
Prof. Dr. Man-Woo Park

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Myongji University, Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Interests: construction automation; vision-based sensing; augmented reality; artificial intelligence in construction; digital twin; UAV-based bridge inspection
Dr. Juhyeong Ryu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering, West Virginia University, P.O. Box 6107, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Interests: human–system integration; safety management; motion analysis for occupational ergonomics; VR/AR for construction trade training; human–machine interaction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The construction industry has entered an era when the infiltration of innovative technologies, methods, and tools with traditional construction project management and engineering has led to opportunities towards a safer, healthier, and more productive work environment. For example, the use of building information models (BIMs) as a mandatory asset for many infrastructure projects has allowed for integrated planning, design, construction, and maintenance that cut costs and save time. Augmented/virtual reality and cloud-based computing are transforming how field crew interact with their tasks in a safer and more productive manner. Green and innovative materials are emerging and actively attempted for opportunities to reduce the embodied carbon of the constructed facilities, as well as to lessen the health impacts associated with hazardous materials (e.g., silica) contained in many construction products. The benefits of wearable technologies, such as exoskeletons and exosuits, have attracted the interest of many for their use among construction workers, in order to prevent injury, alleviate the chronic health burden of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among the worker population, and enhance workers' physical capabilities for improved production outcomes.

The aim of this Special Issue is to inform the community of the forefront of emerging technologies, tools, and methods in assisting in the endeavor of advancing towards safer, healthier, and more productive work settings in construction project management. We invite submissions of cutting-edge or synthesis articles for this Special Issue, with topics including, but not limited to:

  • Safety–productivity balance;
  • Human-centric work settings;
  • Collaborative worker–machine construction;
  • Wearable technologies in construction;
  • Digital, robotic, and automated construction;
  • Off-site (modular) construction;
  • Physical, mental, and respiratory health;
  • Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs);
  • Human-in-loop performance monitoring and modeling;
  • Innovative technologies for training and education.

Dr. Fei Dai
Dr. Zhenhua Zhu
Prof. Dr. Man-Woo Park
Dr. Juhyeong Ryu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • construction project management
  • construction safety and health
  • construction productivity
  • wearable technologies
  • robotics
  • digital twins
  • augmented and virtual reality
  • simulation
  • information modeling
  • data sensing

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 10259 KiB  
Article
Augmented Reality Framework for Retrieving Information of Moving Objects on Construction Sites
by Linh Nguyen, Htoo Thiri Htet, Yong-Ju Lee and Man-Woo Park
Buildings 2024, 14(7), 2089; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14072089 - 8 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 927
Abstract
The construction industry is undergoing a digital transformation, with the digital twin serving as a core system for project information. This digital twin provides an opportunity to utilize AR technology for real-time verification of on-site project information. Although many AR developments for construction [...] Read more.
The construction industry is undergoing a digital transformation, with the digital twin serving as a core system for project information. This digital twin provides an opportunity to utilize AR technology for real-time verification of on-site project information. Although many AR developments for construction sites have been attempted, they have been limited to accessing information on stationary components via Building Information Models. There have been no attempts to access information on dynamically changing resources, such as personnel and equipment. This paper addresses this gap by presenting an AR framework that enables site managers to verify real-time information on specific personnel or equipment. It introduces a matching algorithm for retrieving the necessary information from the digital twin. This algorithm is pivotal in identifying and retrieving the specific information needed from the vast dataset within the digital twin. The matching process integrates object detection and tracking algorithms applied to video frames from AR devices, along with GPS and IMU sensor data. Experimental results demonstrate the potential of this matching algorithm to streamline on-site management and reduce the effort required to interact with digital twin information. This paper highlights the transformative potential of AR and digital twin technologies in revolutionizing construction site operations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Technologies, Tools, and Methods for Enabling Safer, Healthier, and More Productive Work Settings in Construction Project Management)
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18 pages, 3130 KiB  
Article
Automated Classification of the Phases Relevant to Work-Related Musculoskeletal Injury Risks in Residential Roof Shingle Installation Operations Using Machine Learning
by Amrita Dutta, Scott P. Breloff, Dilruba Mahmud, Fei Dai, Erik W. Sinsel, Christopher M. Warren and John Z. Wu
Buildings 2023, 13(6), 1552; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13061552 - 18 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1611
Abstract
Awkward kneeling in sloped shingle installation operations exposes roofers to knee musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risks. To address the varying levels of risk associated with different phases of shingle installation, this research investigated utilizing machine learning to automatically classify seven distinct phases in a [...] Read more.
Awkward kneeling in sloped shingle installation operations exposes roofers to knee musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risks. To address the varying levels of risk associated with different phases of shingle installation, this research investigated utilizing machine learning to automatically classify seven distinct phases in a typical shingle installation task. The classification process relied on analyzing knee kinematics data and roof slope information. Nine participants were recruited and performed simulated shingle installation tasks while kneeling on a sloped wooden platform. The knee kinematics data were collected using an optical motion capture system. Three supervised machine learning classification methods (i.e., k-nearest neighbors (KNNs), decision tree (DT), and random forest (RF)) were selected for evaluation. The KNN classifier provided the best performance for overall accuracy. The results substantiated the feasibility of applying machine learning in classifying shingle installation phases from workers’ knee joint rotation and roof slope angles, which may help facilitate method and tool development for automated knee MSD risk surveillance and assessment among roofers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Technologies, Tools, and Methods for Enabling Safer, Healthier, and More Productive Work Settings in Construction Project Management)
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27 pages, 2328 KiB  
Article
A Qualitative Study on Factors Influencing Technology Adoption in the Architecture Industry
by Hesham Algassim, Samad M. E. Sepasgozar, Michael Ostwald and Steven Davis
Buildings 2023, 13(4), 1100; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13041100 - 21 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 6730
Abstract
The architecture service industry has typically been slow in accepting new digital technologies due to many reasons, such as the industry’s complexity, the diverse sizes of companies, client types, and stakeholders’ technical skills. The combination of these business service factors with those that [...] Read more.
The architecture service industry has typically been slow in accepting new digital technologies due to many reasons, such as the industry’s complexity, the diverse sizes of companies, client types, and stakeholders’ technical skills. The combination of these business service factors with those that affect the intention of a user to use a technology offers a novel model for predicting the success of technology adoption in this business. This study aims to identify the factors in the architecture industry that influence the process of technology adoption. The process of qualitative data collection was conducted using semi-structured interviews with the participation of 30 architecture and design managers to explore the factors that they consider important when adopting digital technology in their organizations. This was conducted to compare these factors with those identified by users as influential in the adoption of digital technology. The analysis was conducted in three stages, namely transcribing, coding, and extracting major themes. This study will further help in identifying whether managers viewed the factors identified in the quantitative study as significant in affecting their decisions to adopt the technology. The major findings of this study revealed that several factors influence the adoption of technology in the architecture industry at the managerial level. These factors include cost, brief preparation, service quality, result demonstrability, project time, environmental considerations, training considerations, and user-friendliness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Technologies, Tools, and Methods for Enabling Safer, Healthier, and More Productive Work Settings in Construction Project Management)
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20 pages, 7561 KiB  
Article
Usability and Biomechanical Testing of Passive Exoskeletons for Construction Workers: A Field-Based Pilot Study
by Sean T. Bennett, Wei Han, Dilruba Mahmud, Peter G. Adamczyk, Fei Dai, Michael Wehner, Dharmaraj Veeramani and Zhenhua Zhu
Buildings 2023, 13(3), 822; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13030822 - 21 Mar 2023
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5778
Abstract
The labor-intensive nature of the construction industry requires workers to frequently perform physically demanding manual work, thereby exposing them to the risk of musculoskeletal injury (approximately 31.2 cases per 10,000 full-time equivalent workers). Exoskeletons and exosuits (collectively called EXOs here) are designed to [...] Read more.
The labor-intensive nature of the construction industry requires workers to frequently perform physically demanding manual work, thereby exposing them to the risk of musculoskeletal injury (approximately 31.2 cases per 10,000 full-time equivalent workers). Exoskeletons and exosuits (collectively called EXOs here) are designed to protect workers from these injuries by reducing exertion and muscle fatigue during work. However, the usability of EXOs in construction is still not clear. This is because extant EXO assessments in construction were mainly conducted in laboratory environments with test participants who are not construction professionals. In this research, we conducted a pilot study to investigate the usability of EXOs in a real construction workplace. Four experienced workers were recruited to push/empty construction gondolas with and without a Back-Support EXO, HeroWear Apex. Three workers were recruited to install/remove wooden blocks between steel studs with and without two Arm-Support EXOs, i.e., Ekso EVO and Hilti EXO-001. Their motions, postures, heart rates, and task completion times were recorded and compared. The workers were also surveyed to gather their attitudes toward the EXO’s usefulness and ease of use. The study results demonstrated that the workers responded to the use of EXOs differently and consequently were not unanimously in favor of EXO adoption in practice. The preliminary results and findings from this pilot study help in building a foundation of understanding to improve EXO products to fit the needs of construction workers and foster EXO-enabled construction tasks in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Technologies, Tools, and Methods for Enabling Safer, Healthier, and More Productive Work Settings in Construction Project Management)
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Review

Jump to: Research

20 pages, 2937 KiB  
Review
Review of Emerging Technologies for Reducing Ergonomic Hazards in Construction Workplaces
by Md Hadisur Rahman, Alireza Ghasemi, Fei Dai and JuHyeong Ryu
Buildings 2023, 13(12), 2967; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13122967 - 28 Nov 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4642
Abstract
In the era of Industry 4.0, marked by the integration of digitization, automation, and data synthesis, emerging technologies play a vital role in mitigating ergonomic hazards within construction work environments. This study investigates the research trends encompassing the adoption of three categories of [...] Read more.
In the era of Industry 4.0, marked by the integration of digitization, automation, and data synthesis, emerging technologies play a vital role in mitigating ergonomic hazards within construction work environments. This study investigates the research trends encompassing the adoption of three categories of emerging technologies—(1) wearable sensors; (2) extended reality, which combines virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR); and (3) exoskeletons and robotics—as the means to mitigate the risk of occupational nonfatal injuries in the construction industry. Employing bibliometric and scientometric analyses, a quantitative examination of the relationship in the literature is performed. From the Scopus database, 347 papers were selected from a pool of 1603 publications from 2018 to 2022. The conducted scientometric analyses encompass annual publication trends, keyword co-occurrence analysis, journal-source analysis, author analysis, and country analysis using VOSviewer (version 1.6.19) and bibliometrix software (version 4.1.3). The findings highlight the crucial role of advanced technologies in enhancing safety and health management in the construction industry. Wearable sensors, for example, offer promising capabilities for real-time monitoring, potentially reducing the risk of onsite injuries by alerting workers to hazards. Extended reality, especially VR, can enhance the effectiveness of safety-training education by simulating realistic scenarios while minimizing exposures to hazardous conditions that workers may face onsite challenges. Furthermore, the integration of exoskeletons and robotics has the potential to reduce physical strain and injury risks among workers, particularly in physically demanding tasks. The review paper identifies current research trends in applying emerging technologies to occupational safety and health within the construction industry, while also suggesting future research directions in this dynamic field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Technologies, Tools, and Methods for Enabling Safer, Healthier, and More Productive Work Settings in Construction Project Management)
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21 pages, 2443 KiB  
Review
Current Status and Future Research Trends of Construction Labor Productivity Monitoring: A Bibliometric Review
by Tsu Yian Lee, Faridahanim Ahmad and Mohd Adib Sarijari
Buildings 2023, 13(6), 1479; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13061479 - 7 Jun 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4943
Abstract
Construction labor productivity (CLP) is a critical measure of efficiency in the construction industry. This bibliometric review comprehensively analyzes global research trends in CLP monitoring over the past 56 years. The review identifies the top journals, authors, and nations contributing to this field [...] Read more.
Construction labor productivity (CLP) is a critical measure of efficiency in the construction industry. This bibliometric review comprehensively analyzes global research trends in CLP monitoring over the past 56 years. The review identifies the top journals, authors, and nations contributing to this field and highlights a significant increase in publications since 2000. The co-authorship bibliometric map illustrates how different nations collaborate in research, with Europe and Asia being the most engaged regions in the study of CLP monitoring. The author keyword co-occurrence analysis indicated the need for more consistent and reliable measurements of CLP in the field. Furthermore, the review highlights the importance of factors such as occupational health and safety, change orders, and the adoption of lean construction principles and innovative technologies for monitoring and improving CLP. Finally, we evaluated the characteristics of different modeling approaches utilized in CLP monitoring studies, considering factors such as data availability, the complexity of relationships, and the required expertise. This study highlights the need for real-time and transparent CLP monitoring methods. Overall, this study contributes to the research field by offering insightful information on the current state of CLP monitoring and proposing potential future directions for research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Technologies, Tools, and Methods for Enabling Safer, Healthier, and More Productive Work Settings in Construction Project Management)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Automated Predict of Unsafe Masonry Working Motions
Authors: JuHyeong Ryu
Affiliation: Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering, West Virginia University, P.O. Box 6107, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA

Title: Development of On-site Ergonomic Assessment Tools Using Whole-body Inverse Dynamics
Authors: Carl Haas
Affiliation: Civil and Environmental Engineering department, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada

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