Developing Optimal Paths for Evacuating Risky Construction Sites

Abstract

Construction sites are susceptible to damage due to the occurrence of natural and technological hazard events such as fire and thermal flux. Therefore, project planners must adopt innovative approaches for evacuating construction sites seamlessly. This research aims to develop a model to find the least-risk paths for evacuating sites in order to diminish losses, injuries, and fatalities. The model consists of two main processes. The first is the generation of an optimal site layout that aims to minimize the total risk using a genetic algorithm. The second process is running Dijkstra’s algorithm to find the shortest safe path from any position on the construction site to the safe places. Spatial analysis tools are exploited in this research to generate the spatial risk maps and implement the least-cost path analysis. The model is implemented in a case study composed of numerous facilities. The results revealed that the proposed model is able to generate paths through least-risk zones, which will minimize the victims in cases of emergencies.