A fuzzy-based construction safety advisor (CSA) for construction safety in the United Arab Emirates / by Noura Salem Al-Kaabi.

Photocopy. Ann Arber, Mich. : UMI Dissertation Services, 2006. xxiii, 272 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Thesis Ph. Ohio State University 2006.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 231-238)

Abstract: Construction safety is a concern for many researchers and people in the construction industry. The field of safety has been a topic of research, development and improvement for many decades, but little has been done in studying and improving construction safety in countries like The United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE has one of the fastest growing economies in the Middle East, where construction constitutes a major percentage of the gross domestic product. The government and regulatory agencies of UAE are working hard to regulate the industry and improve construction safety, but a more specialized study is needed. This research focuses on creating an automated tool, a construction safety advisor (CSA), that has the capability of assisting UAE construction contractor in improving their construction safety, and the UAE government agencies in establishing a basis for comprehensive construction safety codes. CSA has two main modules, each of which represents a model for improving construction safety. The first module evaluates the performance of a construction firm safety program using a program from OSHA and HSE. The module uses fuzzy logic to define two variables, significance and availability, for each unit of the safety program and evaluates the total safety program performance using two fuzzy membership forms. The second module evaluates the construction site safety setting using the ecological approach of environmental psychology. This module performs fault tree analysis to derive the basic events that contribute to the undesired construction site safety setting. The module is designed with default probabilities values that have been assigned for approximation based on literature reviews and subjective judgment. CSA also provides users with a number of resources including CSA help file, glossary of technical terms, links to construction safety resources on the web, and printable checklists for different units of the safety program, which could be used for onsite inspections. CSA was evaluated by safety engineers and construction managers in the USA whom rated it as very good. CSA can be used by construction firms wishing to evaluate their basic safety requirements before or during construction and to perform an onsite inspection using CSA printable checklists.