Tao, Y; Hu, H; Xu, F and Zhang, Z (2023) Ergonomic risk assessment of construction workers and projects based on fuzzy Bayesian network and D-S evidence theory. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 149(6): 04023034, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are the main causes of physical diseases of workers in the construction industry. The occurrence of WMSDs can result in project delays, cost overruns, workers' worsened health status, and even unanticipated safety risks. Ergonomic rules and instrument-based methods have enabled automatic postural ergonomic evaluation and intervention, while a research gap lies in how to consider more comprehensive personalized factors and how to integrate individual risks for project-level risk control. This study developed a two-hierarchy method to assess the ergonomic risk for both individual workers and the entire project. To alleviate the problems of data insufficiency and imprecision in real-life construction projects, experts' evaluations were incorporated with existing instrument-based methods. A methodology combining fuzzy theory, D-S evidence theory, and Bayesian network was employed to deal with fuzziness, uncertainty, and conflicting judgments, and to provide a probabilistic assessment. To measure the potential impact on projects from the perspectives both of cost and productivity, this study also developed a practical framework for project integration. A real-life case study was conducted to validate the approach and demonstrated its applicability. The results of sensitivity analysis indicate that previous WMSD records, age, working posture, and working intensity are the top critical risk factors that have the most significant impact on individuals' WMSD risk status. This study provides deeper insights into WMSD risk assessment, which can facilitate personalized instructions and intervention for individual WMSD risk control, and support managerial initiatives and decisions to mitigate the negative effects on construction projects.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction projects; construction workers; D-S evidence fusion; ergonomic risk assessment; fuzzy Bayesian network; work-related musculoskeletal disorders |
| Index terms: | evidence, methodology, integration, construction project, project delay, fuzzy theory, sensitivity analysis, risk factor, risk assessment, construction industry, construction worker, case study, judgment, bayesian network, productivity, cost overrun |
| Subjects: | data collection methods, evaluation and assessment methods, practitioner, dispute resolution, financial and cost management, research methods, management, financial risk, production management, probabilistic model, project controls, organizational analysis, environmental hazards, industry analysis, decision-making and optimization |
| Topics: | Digital Applications, Legal Issues, Organizational Design, Time Control, Business Strategy, Cost Management, Project Management, Research Practice, Roles and Professions, Sustainability |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here