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. 2023 Dec 12;23(24):9770.
doi: 10.3390/s23249770.

Enhancing Safety on Construction Sites: A UWB-Based Proximity Warning System Ensuring GDPR Compliance to Prevent Collision Hazards

Silvia Mastrolembo Ventura  1 , Paolo Bellagente  2 , Stefano Rinaldi  2 , Alessandra Flammini  2 , Angelo L C Ciribini  1
Affiliations

Enhancing Safety on Construction Sites: A UWB-Based Proximity Warning System Ensuring GDPR Compliance to Prevent Collision Hazards

Silvia Mastrolembo Ventura et al. Sensors (Basel). .

Abstract

Construction is known as one of the most dangerous industries in terms of worker safety. Collisions due the excessive proximity of workers to moving construction vehicles are one of the leading causes of fatal and non-fatal accidents on construction sites internationally. Proximity warning systems (PWS) have been proposed in the literature as a solution to detect the risk for collision and to alert workers and equipment operators in time to prevent collisions. Although the role of sensing technologies for situational awareness has been recognised in previous studies, several factors still need to be considered. This paper describes the design of a prototype sensor-based PWS, aimed mainly at small and medium-sized construction companies, to collect real-time data directly from construction sites and to warn workers of a potential risk of collision accidents. It considers, in an integrated manner, factors such as cost of deployment, the actual nature of a construction site as an operating environment and data protection. A low-cost, ultra-wideband (UWB)-based proximity detection system has been developed that can operate with or without fixed anchors. In addition, the PWS is compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union. A privacy-by-design approach has been adopted and privacy mechanisms have been used for data protection. Future work could evaluate the PWS in real operational conditions and incorporate additional factors for its further development, such as studies on the timely interpretation of data.

Keywords: collision accidents; construction safety; data privacy; data protection; general data protection regulation; proximity warning system; sensing technologies; ultra-wideband.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The typical architecture of a UWB RTLS network [8].
Figure 2
Figure 2
The workflow diagram of research phases.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Takeuchi TL6R front-end loader (A) and Takeuchi TB640 excavator (B) used in the research project to simulate construction activities.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Preliminary assumptions for safety distances between an earth-moving construction vehicle and worker in its proximity [8].
Figure 5
Figure 5
The DWM1001 Real-Time Location System (DRTLS) network and its components.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Infrastructure site configuration of the PWS with fixed anchors [20]. C: Coordinator, A1, A2: Anchors, T: Tags.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Infrastructure-less site configuration of the PWS without fixed anchors. A: Anchor, T: Tags, GW: Gateway.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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