Experimental field testing of a real-time construction hazard identification and transmission technique

Hazard identification and communication are integral to most construction methods, and every construction safety management activity. Unfortunately, in practice, significant hazards are often not recognized and communicated leading to sub-optimal hazard awareness at the crew level. To bridge this gap in performance, we conducted a two-year intensive research project focused on developing a strategy that increases the proportion of hazards identified, communicated, and managed. Specifically, we designed a hazard identification and transmission (HIT) board that is used in conjunction with energy-based retrieval mnemonics and facilitates identifying and communicating hazards during both the planning and the execution phases. The strength of this strategy lies in the fact that workers are able to detect and communicate hazards in real time using energy-source mnemonic cues, which significantly reduces cognitive demand. Following development, we conducted immersive field studies to evaluate the impact of the devised strategy on two projects in the United States. Data from six crews were gathered using the rigorous multiple baseline testing experimental approach and analysis was conducted using interrupted time-series regression models. The results indicate that the crews were able to recognize and communicate only an average of 54% of hazards in the baseline phase, but were able to recognize and communicate 77% during the planning phase after using the intervention. An additional 6% of hazards were identified and communicated in the execution phase. This represents the first known formal effort to evaluate a real-time hazard identification and communication strategy for the construction industry.