Title: Mobile application for the management and control of construction site safety: a comparative study

Authors: Yahel Giat; Amichai Mitelman

Addresses: Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Jerusalem College of Technology, Jerusalem, Israel ' Department of Civil Engineering, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel

Abstract: We investigate whether a mobile application for the management and control of construction sites induces the management of safety. Four construction sites with the application integrated into their operation are compared to four similar sites without the application. A five-day survey was conducted in each site to measure various safety related features and to interview and observe site managers. The results show that except for two variables, the sites with the application exhibit safer behaviours implying that the application improves the management of safety in these sites. We find that users view the application as a safety management tool and not just as a record keeper or as a means for legal protection. However, they will avoid using important built-in safety features if they feel that these take too much time. In these cases, they will continue to use traditional tools despite their limited effectiveness.

Keywords: mobile devices; global firms; construction; safety management; information management; mobile application; control; IT.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCAT.2023.131593

International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology, 2023 Vol.71 No.2, pp.100 - 109

Received: 17 May 2022
Received in revised form: 18 Aug 2022
Accepted: 27 Aug 2022
Published online: 20 Jun 2023 *

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