Mapping Datafication in Construction-Worker Safety Research to Minimize Injury-Related Disputes

Abstract

Construction workers are susceptible to work-related injury, which increases the probability of a workers’ compensation claim. But the workers’ compensation claim can cause dispute for several reasons such as whether the injury occurred on the job, suspicion of fraud, and lack of evidence. This highlights the necessity of improvement in workers’ safety and the recording of evidence to reduce dispute occurrence. The rapid datafication of construction processes implementing available technologies can be a potential solution. This paper aims to trace the trends of such datafication by investigating the available scientific literature to create a novel tabular index of what data are (or can be) generated and leveraged, for what purpose, following what methodologies, and when. This paper identifies different technologies that can be used to monitor workers’ safety and provide data for dispute resolution, if any. The authors propose the use of a systematic literature review (SLR) for this study to provide reliable data-based mapping. The methodology includes identification of safety factors and technology implemented from published scholarly articles and their applicability in dispute resolution. A tabular index was created containing information such as factors tracked, technology used, type of data, and accuracy. Similarly, multiple visual maps were generated aiding in the identification of important safety factors and most reliable technologies fit to be implemented for data collection, which can help to reduce the chance of injury and identify the reason behind the injury, if any. This paper will serve as an index for researchers and practitioners working on construction safety or wanting to learn about real-time construction safety research. The visual maps reported in this paper contribute as a guide to understand what data type is required for a specific safety issue, how to collect them, and how the data can be analyzed. The maps will also reveal trends in the rise and fall of distinct types of analysis methods and technologies in construction safety research. Finally, construction practitioners can use the map to identify the technology that can be used to collect different data that could help to reduce the chance of injury as well as identify the reason behind the injuries if occurred, reducing the probability of disputes.