Improving Safety, Efficiency, and Productivity: Evaluation of Fall Protection Systems for Bridge Work Using Wearable Technology and Utility Analysis

Abstract

The construction industry is experiencing a number of challenges. For example, construction workplaces report poor safety performance, widespread inefficiencies, and stagnant productivity rates. These challenges often translate into higher-order issues including cost overruns, schedule growths, and project failure. Accordingly, much of construction research has focused on identifying best practices to improve safety, efficiency, and productivity. However, the majority of these efforts focus on resolving one of these challenges (e.g., safety) rather than holistically addressing safety, efficiency, and productivity in unison. Unfortunately, such an approach can yield unintended consequences in certain circumstances. For example, a narrow focus on productivity may adversely affect safety performance, and vice versa. One nationwide safety issue that has received much recent attention is the protection of highway and bridge workers from falls to lower levels when working on bridge decks. In these circumstances, highway and bridge workers largely rely on existing bridge guardrails for their protection against falls. However, most bridge guardrails do not offer a barrier height of 107±8 cm (42±3 in.) for sufficient protection as per regulatory requirements. To protect these workers, a few transportation agencies are beginning to adopt passive fall protection systems that can be attached to the guardrails to temporarily increase the barrier height. The purpose of the current research was to support these efforts by evaluating four fall protection systems that are actively being considered for adoption based on the expected safety, efficiency, and productivity benefits they offer. The study objectives were accomplished through 96 field trials where physiological responses, postural demands, activity rates, and the associated utility were gathered from participating workers using wearable technology and a questionnaire survey. The research effort identified fall protection systems that offer the most advantages in terms of safety, efficiency, and productivity. The adoption of the recommended systems can yield substantial benefits in terms of safety, efficiency, and productivity, apart from reducing the risk of falls.