Enhancing Safety throughout Construction using BIM/VDC

Construction jobsites are some of the most dangerous workplaces. According to the Bureau of Labor, in 2008 1005 fatalities resulted from construction accidents, and cost industry approximately $11.5 billion annually. Many construction accidents could be avoided through better engineering and administrative controls, and improved safety training. 3D visualization and analyses are situated to play a critical role in enhancing safety. This paper discusses specific examples where BIM-enabled safety controls can be used to detect and alert designers and contractors to potential project hazards. If hazards are identified through simulation during the design phase, elimination and substitution of hazards may be substantially less inexpensive and easier to implement. This paper discusses the use of BIM to enhance safety for construction workers, building users during renovations/ expansions and building end-users. Using specific real-world examples this paper demostrates ways that BIM can be used to foresee potential construction hazards and motivates and informs future tool and process development.