Safety System in Construction Industry : A protection system preventing fatal injuries by excavators in construction sites

The purpose of this study was the implementation of an automatic protection system for workers working near excavators, which is identified as one of the targeted hazards and causes for fatal injuries in construction sites. The automatic system consists of two key elements: the human presence detector based on the application of ultrasonic sensors and passive infrared sensors, and the active warning and alarm system based on the combination of audio and visual signaling devices, and wireless communication modules. On the other hand, the system also consists of several additional modules to enhance its performance. The system is planned to be installed on excavators for the detector part, and on the worker for the alarm and warning part. As such systems have not been utilized in the Finnish market. This system could optimistically become a common safety add-on in the Finnish and, if possible European construction industry, in the interest of accident prevention and limitation. Given that the time period for this study and research was limited, the targeted goal was limited to the successful implementation of one completed feature for this system, which is the ability to detect human presence, measure the distance between the workers and the excavator, and generate an alarming message when the dangerous conditions are met. Overall, the target goal was managed to be achieved by presenting that the results of the measurement and evaluation of the system performance were completed. Following the conclusion of this study, further developments are needed to be conducted in order to be able to release a completed product to the market