New Risks for Workers at Heights: Human-Drone Collaboration Risks in Construction
Publication: Computing in Civil Engineering 2021
ABSTRACT
Poor safety and low productivity have pushed the construction industry to increase the use of technology and automation. Consequently, robotic systems such as aerial and ground robots are becoming increasingly popular in modern construction sites. As construction is still a heavily human-driven industry, these robots need to collaborate, interact, and share their work environment with human workers. This integration raises novel occupational safety and health issues for jobsite personnel. In this conceptual paper, human-robot interactions and their potential collaboration areas will be discussed, focusing on robot types and their application areas. Next, the health and safety risks associated with human-robot interactions on construction sites will be discussed. This discussion will mainly focus on physical risks, attentional cost, and psychological impacts of such interactions on workers who work directly or indirectly with or around robots. Finally, a discussion will be provided on considerations and recommendations to ensure the safe integration of robots in construction.
Get full access to this chapter
View all available purchase options and get full access to this chapter.
REFERENCES
Albeaino, G., Gheisari, M., and Franz, B. W. A systematic review of unmanned aerial vehicle application areas and technologies in the AEC domain, Journal of Information Technology in Construction (ITcon). 24 (2019) 381–405. https://www.itcon.org/2019/20.
Amick, B. C., III, and Smith, M. J. Stress, computer-based work monitoring and measurement systems: a conceptual overview, Applied Ergonomics. 23 (1992) 6–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-6870(92)90005-G.
Boston Dynamics. (2020). Spot®, <https://shop.bostondynamics.com/spot>(Apr. 9, 2021).
Dawson, D., and Fletcher, A. A quantitative model of work-related fatigue: background and definition, Null. 44 (2001) 144–163. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140130119399.
Djuric, A., Urbanic, R., and Rickli, J. “A Framework for Collaborative Robot (CoBot) Integration in Advanced Manufacturing Systems,” SAE Int. J. Mater. Manf. 9(2):2016.
DroneDeploy. 2018 Commercial Drone Industry Trends, 2018. https://dronedeploy-www.cdn.prismic.io/dronedeploy-www%2Fae535fda-dfc9-4bcf-9743-292df714e9fe_dd__2018_trends_report-f.pdf.
Grand View Research. (2019). “Collaborative Robots Market Size & Share: Industry Report, 2019-2025.” Collaborative Robots Market Size & Share | Industry Report, 2019-2025, <https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/collaborative-robots-market>(Apr. 8, 2021).
Hasanzadeh, S., Esmaeili, B., and Dodd, M. D. Impact of construction workers’ hazard identification skills on their visual attention. J. Constr. Eng. Manag., 143 (10) (2017), p. 04017070, https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001373.
Hugenholtz, C. H., Walker, J., Brown, O., and Myshak, S. Earthwork Vol-umetrics with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and Softcopy Photo-grammetry, J. Surv. Eng. 141 (2015) 06014003. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)SU.1943-5428.0000138.
Jeelani, I., Albert, A., and Gambatese, J. Why do construction hazards remain unrecognized at the work interface? J. Constr. Eng. Manag., 143 (2016), p. 04016128, https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001274.
Kahneman, D. Attention and Effort. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall, 1973. Print.
Martinez, J. G., Albeaino, G., Gheisari, M., Issa, R. R. A., and Alarcón, L. F. iSafeUAS: An unmanned aerial system for construction safety inspection, Autom. Constr. 125 (2021) 103595. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2021.103595.
Matthews, K. (2019). “Construction robotics is changing the industry in these 5 ways.” The Robot Report, <https://www.therobotreport.com/construction-robotics-changing-industry/> (Apr. 4, 2021).
Mitropoulos, P., and Tatum, C. B. (2000). “Forces driving adoption of new information technologies.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 126 (5): 340–348. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2000)126:5(340).
Roberts, J. (1987). The Business Roundtable Construction Industry Cost Effectiveness Task Force, Construction Management and Economics, 5:2, 95–100, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01446198700000009.
Stamp, J. (2013). “The Drones of the Future May Build Skyscrapers.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, <https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-drones-of-the-future-may-build-skyscrapers-18390584/> (Apr. 3, 2021).
Strayer, D. L., and Fisher, D. L. SPIDER: A Framework for Understanding Driver Distraction, Hum Factors. 58 (2016) 5–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018720815619074.
Tezza, D., and Andujar, M. The State-of-the-Art of Human–Drone Interaction: A Survey, IEEE Access. 7 (2019) 167438–167454. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2019.2953900.
BLS (US Bureau of Labor Statistics). National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2017, (2018) 9.
Weisberg, R. W., and Reeves, L. M. Cognition: from memory to creativity, John Wiley & Sons, 2013.
Zhou, S., and Gheisari, M. (2018). “Unmanned aerial system applications in construction: a systematic review”, Construction Innovation, Vol. 18 No. 4, pp. 453–468. https://doi.org/10.1108/CI-02-2018-0010.
Zhou, Z., Irizarry, J., and Lu, Y. A Multidimensional Framework for Unmanned Aerial System Applications in Construction Project Management, J. Manag. Eng. 34 (2018) 04018004–04018004. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000597.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Computing in Civil Engineering 2021
Pages: 321 - 328
History
Published online: May 24, 2022
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.