Sensibuildity: The design of a communication system to identify and prevent work-related injuries in the construction industry

Alzayed, Mohammad Alsager; Costa, Eduardo Castro e; Agarwal, Pratik; Kakarlamudi, Sai; Bil�n, Sven G.; Miller, Scarlett

Abstract

Up to 14 billion dollars are spent in the construction industry annually as a result of work-related injuries. The current study was developed in an effort to minimize the costs associated with these short-and long-term injuries through the use of wearable technologies and a two-phase study that included 13 semi-structured interviews and a usability investigation with 12 participants. Through the user interviews, a system was developed that includes a wearable vibration feedback mechanism that alerts users of postures that impose a risk of incurring musculoskeletal disorders and a smartphone application that reports on their postures. The results of the usability investigation showed that the solution is perceived to be more informative and engaging in enhancing safety awareness than existing practices. The results of this study display the need and effectiveness of incorporating wearable technologies as a means of providing effective feedback to construction workers and, hence, mitigate the risks of incurring work-related injuries.

Citation

Alzayed, M. A., Costa, E. C. E., Agarwal, P., Kakarlamudi, S., Bilén, S. G., & Miller, S. (2018). Sensibuildity: The design of a communication system to identify and prevent work-related injuries in the construction industry. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 62, 1631-1635. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541931218621369

• Journal Article Type: Conference Paper
• Acceptance Date: Apr 1, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Sep 27, 2018
• Publication Date: Sep 1, 2018
• Deposit Date: Apr 27, 2022
• Journal: Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting
• Print ISSN: 1071-1813
• Electronic ISSN: 1541-9312
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Volume: 62
• Pages: 1631-1635
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1541931218621369
• Keywords: General Medicine; General Chemistry
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/9305887