Dynamic Layout of Construction Temporary Facilities Considering Safety

Abstract

The layout of a construction site plays a major role in the safety and productivity of operations, particularly when site space is restricted. As construction evolves, however, the site layout may need to be dynamically reorganized at various schedule intervals to accommodate operational needs. As opposed to considering only productivity issues during site planning, this paper presents a layout planning approach that considers both safety and productivity. First, safety issues on construction sites are discussed and the factors that contribute to unsafe sites are outlined. A procedure for optimum layout of temporary facilities is then developed in integration with a scheduling tool. Four aspects are considered during site-layout planning: (1) defining the safety-related temporary facilities needed on construction sites; (2) defining proper safety zones around the construction space; (3) considering safety in determining the optimum placement of temporary facilities on the site; and (4) utilizing parts of the constructed space as temporary facilities to relieve congestion on restricted sites. A case study is presented on a prototype system to demonstrate the benefits of the proposed approach.