Image courtesy the City of Toronto
The data indicates just how dangerous construction sites can be. As identified by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the number of onsite deaths where a worker is struck by an object, vehicle, or piece of equipment have spiked by 34 per cent over the last decade. AI’s presence will be especially felt here moving forward, as AI solutions have the potential to learn and identify safety risks.
Contractors are tasked with not only brainstorming how to effectively maintain and develop a project, but also ensuring the work site is properly equipped and secured with the appropriate safety systems. Managers must stay aware of potential risk areas. Advanced technology provides stakeholders more options and increased convenience when it comes to supervision, safety, and management. Construction companies have incorporated AI-powered, 360-degree cameras, drones, and smartphone cameras mounted on hard hats to detect hazards and risk areas with greater efficiency and visibility.
Photo © BigStockPhoto.com
The downtown Toronto construction includes two demolition jobs, a pool, parapets as well as other structures at the top of the building that have to be removed before the overbuild is constructed. Given the tight space, and the neighbouring Hospital for Sick Children, additional precautions must be put into practice to secure this site. Additional vision provided by AI is able to detect problem areas that arise anywhere onsite, keeping workers and nearby pedestrians safe.
Computer vision coupled with deep learning equips onsite cameras to offer the visibility and thoroughness required to keep workers safe. The gathered data will show managers what has been problematic up to a particular point, and will also allow them to make informed decisions about how to proceed with limited risk potential. The ability to anticipate problem areas is crucial to establishing the requisite onsite safety. In fact, these insights allowed stakeholders to make the decision to employ two luffing cranes that move vertically to perform construction near the top of the building instead of regular hammerhead cranes, which will not only keep workers safe, but will also ensure nearby buildings and civilians are safe.
A luffer was used because Sick Kids Hospital is close to the site. A hammerhead crane would have spun into the hospital. Such predictions would not be possible without leveraging the data insights provided by AI technology.
Conclusion
AI learns the complexities within a construction site and is improving outdated processes by automating previously monotonous tasks. Instead of manually counting delivery trucks, tracking labour hours, or photographing safety violations, AI completes such tasks automatically and presents workflows with actionable data. Using AI, managers can automatically identify and assign priority to issues. The algorithms facilitate understanding and anticipation of complex problems, allowing managers to make informed decisions and mitigate risks.
It is an exciting time to be a part of the construction industry, as emerging technologies like AI are opening the doors to new possibilities. AI has the capability to revolutionize the entire industry and is paving the way to the construction of more complex, yet significantly safer, projects with an improved efficiency.
Matt Man is the founder of Indus.ai. Man is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for inventing disruptive technology solutions. He also has an affection for developing products that break down industry silos and redefine user experience. Man earned a B.A.Sc. in engineering sciences from the University of Toronto before attending Stanford University, where he earned his M.S. from the Department of Management Science and Engineering. He can be reached via e-mail at matt.man@indus.ai.
