Winvic is helping to develop a new accident early warning system that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to detect and track hazards on construction sites and then alert nearby workers via GPS devices. The project, dubbed as Computer-Vision-SMART (Computer Vision and IoT for Personalized Site Monitoring Analytics in Real Time), will run for two years and is funded by Innovate UK. Two Winvic project sites will be involved in the project.
How it works
Interior and exterior site cameras will continuously capture video images. Via AI, any hazards – from moving heavy machinery to overhead works to people operating without the correct PPE – will be identified. Over the length of the project, the machine learning models will be able to make an increasing number of intelligent predictions. Safe space radii, or zones, will be predetermined and applied to each hazard.
When an operator enters a hazard zone, the individual and when appropriate other members of the site team will receive a personal alert via an app on a wearable or mobile device. Managers can also review alerts and relevant video segments from a laptop-based app.
If the system identifies an operator not wearing the appropriate PPE, the person and project manager will be alerted of the issue. Each hazard radius will comprise four zones (SAFE):
- Safe: a site worker is in a safe location and won’t receive an alert;
- Alert: a site worker is alerted to a possible risk;
- Full alert: a site worker receives a consistent alert;
- Escalate: there is a site wide alert of an immediate health and safety concern.
CIOB quoted Tim Reeve, Winvic’s technical director, as saying that using intelligent digital technologies in construction to deliver projects more rapidly, cost-effectively and safely is a passion of Winvic’s and they believe that this forward-thinking health and safety initiative will truly make a difference. There is a clear gap in this area of construction safety, where social and technical efforts can successfully converge, and with the solution that has been conceived will arise better opportunities than ever before to achieve their zero-harm aim.
