Muhammad Umer Zubair

The world is progressing towards sustainable, eco-friendly, recyclable materials to enhance the circular economy and mitigate the issues of carbon footprint, overburdened landfills, and waste of natural resources. As increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are a major contributor towards climate change and given that the construction industry is one of the major producers of GHG emissions, it is crucial to meticulously quantify and lower its emissions, especially in the context of developing countries. This research presents a novel framework by combining advanced tools i.e., building information modeling (BIM), life-cycle assessment (LCA), geographic information systems (GISs), and quantification of embodied emissions to optimize construction’s design, material-selection, operations, maintenance, and waste-management processes. The effectiveness of the proposed approach has been demonstrated with the help of a real-world case study in Islamabad, Pakistan. A building model has been generated using BIM, and a comprehensive LCA has been conducted. Additionally, GIS tools have been utilized to identify the locations and accessibility of available-waste-management facilities. Based on this data, embodied emissions related to handling and transportation of waste material to disposal facilities have been computed using mathematical analyses. Furthermore, targeted mitigation strategies have been proposed and an optimized route has been designed using GIS-based route-optimization tools along the suggested facility centers in the Islamabad region. The case study has been reassessed with alleviation strategies, and the results show that 29.35% of the materialization stage, 16.04% of the operational stage, and 21.14% of the end-of-life-phase GHG emissions can be effectively reduced. Hence, pre-evaluating the environmental degradation caused by construction projects throughout their life cycle might offer an opportunity to comprehend and reduce prospective environmental impacts.

One in every five occupational deaths occurs in the construction sector. A proactive approach for improving on-site safety is identifying and analyzing accident precursors, such as near-misses, that provide early warnings of accidents. Despite the importance of near-misses, they are frequently left unreported and unrecorded in the construction sector. The adoption of modern technologies can prevent accidents by automated data collection and analysis. This study aims to develop near-miss detection metrics to facilitate the automated detection of near-misses through sensors. The study adopted a mixed method approach including both qualitative and quantitative approaches. First, a quantifiable definition of near-misses was developed from the literature. Hazards, accidents, and the causes of accidents were identified. Through empirical and statistical analyses of accidents from the OSHA repository, combinations of unsafe acts and conditions responsible for a near-miss were identified. The identified factors were analyzed using a frequency analysis, correlation, and a lambda analysis. The results revealed twelve significant near-misses, such as A1—approach to restricted areas and C2—unguarded floor/roof openings, A5—equipment and tool inspection was incomplete and C8—unsafely positioned ladders and scaffolds, A2—no or improper use of PPE and C2—unguarded floor or roof openings, etc. Lastly, measurable data required by sensors for autonomous detection of near-misses were determined. The developed metric set the basis for automating near-miss reporting and documentation using modern sensing technology to improve construction safety. This study contributes to improving construction safety by addressing the underreporting of near-miss events. Overall, the developed metrics lay the groundwork for enhancing construction safety through automated near-miss reporting and documentation. Furthermore, it helps for the establishment of safety management schemes in the construction industry, specifically in identifying near-misses. This research offers valuable insight into developing guidelines for safety managers to improve near-miss reporting and detection on construction sites. In sum, the findings can be valuable for other industries also looking to establish or assess their own safety management systems.