Hazardous proximity zone design for heavy construction equipment

The construction industry continues to be among the leading industries for workplace fatalities in the U.S. After experiencing 824 fatal injuries in 2013, the construction industry continues to rank as one of the most dangerous work environments when compared to other private industrial sectors in the U.S. Conditions of construction sites often produce hazardous proximity situations by requiring ground workers and heavy equipment to operator at close proximity. The gathered injury and fatality statistics indicate that current safety practices of construction workers have proven inadequate. The objective is to design hazard zone around pieces of heavy construction equipment in which ground personnel should not enter during construction operations. The scope is limited to construction sites and equipment at a horizontal grade and hazards between heavy construction equipment and workers-on-foot. A framework for creating the hazard zone around any piece of construction equipment is presented including detailed methodology discussions for each step. The hazard zone for a dump truck, excavator, and backhoe are shown using the created framework. Construction resource tracking data was used to validate the created hazard zone around a dump truck. Results indicate that hazard zones for ground workers can be created around construction equipment to increase hazard awareness for workers. Furthermore, additional safety standards can be formulated based on the ability to design and eventually implement hazard zones on construction equipment.Non UBCUnreviewedFacultyOthe