The impact of implementing Building Information Modeling (BIM) on Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) during construction

Abstract

The German construction industry suffers from consistently high accident figures. In recent years, there has been no discernible trend toward a decrease in occupational accidents on construction sites, resulting in over 110,000 accidents annually. In line with the BIM Roadmap published by the German Ministry of Transport in 2015, it can be recognized that Building Information Modeling (BIM) is increasingly being used. Nevertheless, safety planning often remains paper-based, manual and thus error-prone. In this regard, traditional safety planning does not seem to be able to ensure sufficient occupational health and safety during construction. This paper aims to identify how BIM could positively impact Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) during construction. Therefore, a study procedure, combining quantitative and qualitative research with an in depth literature review is introduced. This study reveals a high added value of using BIM for (1) safety rule checking and design validation and (2) safety education, training, and communication. The BIM related safety applications offer clear advantages compared to traditional safety planning approaches. Nevertheless, all of the introduced applications could be assigned a clear limitation, which restrict their potential impact on OHS. The findings further indicate that those working on the construction site have a positive attitude towards digital plans, new technologies and 3D views. There is a high potential of using BIM as a decision supporting tool to reduce the underestimation of safety hazards and to improve safety reporting. In this context, an anonymous digital application for safety reporting purposes is suggested.