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Near-Miss Information Visualization Tool in BIM for Construction Safety

Article  in  Journal of Construction Engineering and Management · December 2015

DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001100

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 Near-Miss Information Visualization Tool in
BIM for Construction Safety
Xu Shen, S.M.ASCE 1; and Eric Marks, Ph.D., P.E., A.M.ASCE 2

Abstract: Although the number of fatalities experienced by the U.S. construction industry has been declining, the magnitude of the decrease
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has stagnated in recent years. Several improvements have been realized in visualizing construction-project information through building
information modeling (BIM). One improvement in construction safety can be found in the collection, analysis, and visualization of
safety-leading indicator data including near-miss events. Furthermore, the visualization of reported near misses can assist safety managers
to identify high-frequency and high-severity events within a construction site for mitigation or hazard removal techniques. The objective of
this research is to provide a framework for near-miss data collection and visualization within a BIM platform. A near-miss database was
created in a commercially available BIM design software to allow construction-site personnel to report near misses and visualize within an
existing BIM. Algorithms were created to enable filtering for visualization based on user input properties of each individual near miss. A
feasibility study for the created tool was conducted with an expert review panel of experienced safety managers. Contributions of this research
include a near-miss visualization user interface allows construction personnel to view near misses throughout a construction project to iden-
tify hazardous areas and frequency of near misses as well as feasibility study data of the created tool. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862
.0001100. © 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Author keywords: Construction safety; Data visualization; Near misses; Building information modeling; Labor and personnel issues.

Introduction safety performance of construction-site personnel. The growing

use and implementation of BIM within the construction industry
Although the construction industry accounts for 4% of the total is transforming the way safety-data management can be ap-
employed workforce in the United States, the industry experienced proached, specifically by visualizing safety data including near-
19% of the fatalities (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2012). This miss reports.
disproportionately high number of fatalities indicates the dangers The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
associated with working in the construction industry. Although the defines a near miss as “an incident where no property was damaged
number of fatalities on construction sites has decreased over time, and no personal injury sustained, but where, given a slight shift in
the rate of workplace fatalities has stagnated in recent years time or position, damage and/or injury easily could have occurred”
(Occupational Safety and Health Administration 2011a). This (Occupational Safety and Health Administration 2002b). OSHA
research visualizes construction-site-safety data to equip safety currently does not require construction companies to record or re-
managers to view the location and frequency of hazardous condi- port near misses (Occupational Safety and Health Administration
tions and events. 2011b). Near misses are categorized as safety-leading indicators
Building information modeling (BIM) has been described as because they are measurements of processes, activities, and condi-
one of the most promising recent developments in the construction tions that define performance and can predict future accidents
industry because of its ability to provide a design, communication, (Hallowell et al. 2013). Safety-leading indicators, including
and project monitoring platform throughout the lifecycle of a near-miss reporting and analysis, provide an additional metric of
project (Azhar 2011; Eastman et al. 2011). Construction-project employee safety performance without requiring an illness, injury,
stakeholders are using BIM to integrate many aspects of a project or fatality event.
including building lifecycle, designing (Penttila 2007), planning, A near-miss reporting program was created and implemented by
construction (Kymmell 2008), and operation (Akcamete et al. members of the construction industry institute (Marks et al. 2014).
2010). Because of the hazardous nature of construction sites, safety A complete reporting system with worker feedback was established
management is a critical component to a successful project. By to collect, process, and disseminate near-miss information for con-
visualizing hazardous situations and conditions, BIM provides a struction sites in various parts of the world. Other efforts to imple-
platform to aid in safety management and eventually enhance ment and encourage near-miss reporting include governmental
standards for near-miss reporting (Health and Safety Executive
1
Research Graduate Student, Dept. of Civil, Construction and Environ- 2015) and strategies for increasing quality and quantity of near-
mental Engineering, Univ. of Alabama, 251 H.M. Comer, Tuscaloosa, miss reports (Cambraia et al. 2010). This additional element of
AL 35487. E-mail: xshen7@crimson.ua.edu an existing company safety program allowed safety managers to
2
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil, Construction and Environmental proactively identify and mitigate hazardous conditions and situa-
Engineering, Univ. of Alabama, 251 H.M. Comer, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
tions based on near-miss reports received from site personnel.
(corresponding author). E-mail: eric.marks@eng.ua.edu
Note. This manuscript was submitted on July 21, 2015; approved on To complement near-miss reporting, the construction industry
October 8, 2015; published online on December 16, 2015. Discussion per- needs a data-visualization strategy for near-miss reports. Similar
iod open until May 16, 2016; separate discussions must be submitted for to hazard identification and site-layout safety planning, near-miss
individual papers. This paper is part of the Journal of Construction En- reporting information would be greatly enhanced through visuali-
gineering and Management, © ASCE, ISSN 0733-9364. zation (Hallowell et al. 2013; Elbeltagi et al. 2004). Because an

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 interactive visualization and communication platform already results from the work environment (Occupational Safety and Health
exists in BIM, a database and user interface are required to visualize Administration 2011b). Company-reported incidents fall into cat-
and analyze near-miss reports. egories shown in Table 1 as defined by OSHA (Occupational Safety
The current state of near-miss reporting requires an automated and Health Administration 2011b). These categories are character-
data-visualization method for real-time access to near-miss infor- ized as safety-lagging indicators because their measurement and
mation including location, description of event, and mitigation assessment occur after a negative safety event occurs (Occupational
strategies. The goal of this research is to visualize reported near- Safety and Health Administration 2013). Measures of safety-
miss data within BIM. By allowing data-visualization capabilities lagging indicators are incapable of predicting hazards, assigning
to safety managers, reported unsafe situations and conditions can be severity of an event, or identifying event causation (Flin et al. 2000).
addressed before an injury, illness, or fatality occurs. The primary The construction industry experienced 856 fatalities in 2013,
objective of this research is to create a tool functional in BIM soft- which represented 18.7% of all fatalities experienced by the
ware to visualize and analyze near-miss information. Subobjectives U.S. private sector. These values were slightly lower for 2011 with
of this research include creating algorithms and user interfaces for 781 fatalities that constituted 16.6% of all fatalities experienced by
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safety managers to navigate and analyze reported near-miss data. A the U.S. private sector (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2013). Although
set of best practices for visualizing safety information on construc- fatalities are the most negative safety event, injuries and illnesses
tion projects was identified and assembled. The created near-miss also negatively affect the success of a construction project. The
data-visualization tool is intended to visualize near-miss informa- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the construction in-
tion, but any desired safety categorical data including hazard iden- dustry experienced 117 recordable cases for every 10,000 workers.
tifications, injuries, or illnesses can be viewed within a BIM. In 2011, the median number of days missed due to injury or illness
The scope of this research is limited to near-miss information was approximately 8 (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2012). The con-
collected by construction-site personnel. User interfaces of the struction industry experienced 179,100 nonfatal injuries, which
created tool are focused toward use by safety managers and other was marginally lower than the nonfatal injuries reported in 2011
management personnel in the construction industry. The selected (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2013). These recordable incidents
communication and data-analysis platform is limited to commer- can have a negative impact on a construction project’s success
cially available BIM software. The use of automated data-analysis through lost work time, decreased productivity, increased medical
systems provides more accurate data than manual collection and costs, and in some cases, loss of life.
analysis systems and inevitably increases communication about
safety across all construction-project stakeholders accessing the Safety-Leading Indicators
BIM. Other industrial sectors in the United States (e.g., manufactur-
ing) that record safety data (including near misses) could use this As previously discussed, OSHA regulations require construction
visualization concept and proposed methodology for their specific companies to record and periodically report safety-lagging indica-
safety program. tors (Occupational Safety and Health Administration 2013). Safety-
This paper presents a user interface and database created for leading indicators differ from safety-lagging indicators because
near-miss visualization within a BIM and algorithms for data trans- safety-leading indicators do not require a negative safety event
fers and analysis. The results indicate that safety data including to occur. Safety-leading indicators are measurements of processes,
near misses can be assessed and visualized within a BIM. Exper- activities, and conditions that define performance and are capable
imental results are discussed as well as experienced limitations and of predicting future results (Hinze et al. 2013; Hinze 2006). Active
future research topics extending from near-miss visualization. safety-leading indicators can periodically monitor the level of
employee safety performance on construction sites (Hinze et al.
2013). This includes evaluating progress of newly implemented
Background components of a safety program or innovative safety implements
(Hallowell and Gambatese 2009). Safety-leading indicators have
The U.S. construction industry continues to experience a high num- been linked with data-visualization and communication platforms
ber of workplace fatalities. Much research has been performed in to improve safety planning and performance (Chantawit et al.
construction safety, including safety applications for BIM, in an 2005). Location of an event has been identified as a necessary
attempt to improve construction-worker-safety performance. These safety measure for identifying and mitigating hazards in a visuali-
academic and industry research results are presented as part of this zation environment (Chantawit et al. 2005). Examples of safety-
literature review. A research needs statement is derived from the leading indicators that enhance construction safety are shown in
findings to conclude this section. Table 2.

Current Construction-Safety Statistics Near-Miss Reporting

Construction companies in the United States are required to report One such safety-leading indicator is a near miss, which is defined
all fatalities, injuries, and illnesses that occur during the workday or as an incident where no property damage and no personal injury

Table 1. Categories of Reported Accidents

Recordable category Description
Total recordable cases Sum of all recordable occupational injuries and illnesses, including lost-workday cases and
nonfatal cases without lost workdays
Total lost-workday cases Sum of cases involving days away from work and/or days of restricted activity
Nonfatal cases without lost workdays Sum of cases that are recordable injuries or illnesses, which do not result in
death or lost workdays, but only either days away from work or days of restricted activity
Deaths Sum of fatality of wounded employees resulting from an unsafe act or the workplace environment

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 Table 2. Safety-Leading Indicator Examples
Safety-leading indicator Description
Behavior-based safety Implementing the science of human behavior to improve construction-worker-safety performance
(Fang and Huang 2004; Choudhry et al. 2007; Zohar and Luria 2003)
Jobsite hazard analysis Technique that focuses on job tasks as a way to identify hazards before they occur (Hallowell and
Gambatese 2009; Rozenfield et al. 2010; Occupational Safety and Health Administration 2002a)
Safety training The action of training employees in safety regulations, best safety behavior practices, common hazards,
and other safety-related material (Agnew and Daniels 2011; Burke et al. 2006; O’Connor et al. 2005)
Risk quantification A quantitative analysis of assessing potential risk present on a given construction site (Hallowell and
Gambatese 2009; Fortunato et al. 2011; Ho and Dzeng 2010)
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was sustained, but where, given a slight shift in time or position, enable stakeholders to view project data and generate analysis in-
damage and injury easily could have occurred (Bureau of Labor formation in real time. This equips project stakeholders to improve
Statistics 2013). The safety pyramid created by Heinrich provides decision making through increased accuracy and locational aware-
the motivation for collecting and analyzing near misses. Heinrich ness of valuable project information.
hypothesized that a multitude of near misses are a prerequisite Past researchers have exploited communication and data-
for a workplace injury or fatality to occur (Overseas Shipholding analysis capabilities of BIM for improving safety. Safety concerns
Ground 2009). Consequently, safety managers desire to identify in structural design including element conflicts have been visual-
and mitigate near-miss events before an injury, illness, or fatality ized and alleviated in four-dimensional environments (Zhang and
occurs. Other industrial sectors including manufacturing, medical, Hu 2011; Hu et al. 2008). Construction-safety researchers have in-
and energy production have adopted near-miss reporting in an at- tegrated topics of prevent-through-design (PtD) into BIM by creat-
tempt to improve employee safety performance (Cambraia et al. ing a tool to evaluate construction-worker safety during a project’s
2010; Sullivar and Sheffrin 2003; Henneman and Gawlinski design phase (Sulankivi et al. 2010). Furthermore, BIM has been
2004; Schaaf and Kanse 2004). Private sector companies in the established as a safety-data-collection platform with PtD applica-
United Kingdom are required to submit near-miss reports as part tions (Hadikusumo and Rowlinson 2004). Other researchers cre-
of their safety records (Health and Safety Executive 2015). ated a framework for simulating and identifying hazards by linking
Near misses are typically measured as single events or instances BIM software and a virtual reality environment (Park and Kim
rather than hours of exposure as other hazards (Hinze and Godfrey 2013).
2003). Near misses should be quantifiable, easily understood, per-
ceived as credible, and signal the need for action (Hallowell et al. Need for Near-Miss Data Visualization
2013). Near-miss reporting and analysis enables construction
workers to be educated on strategies to prevent future lagging Previous research ventures have identified the need for incorporat-
indicators (Hinze 2002). Near-miss reports provide opportunities ing BIM with safety in construction (Ku and Mills 2010). Although
for safety managers to identify areas of improvement within safety a substantial body of research exists for applications of digital tech-
performance (Hinze 2006). By measuring and assessing near-miss nologies to construction-safety issues, very few tools and applica-
reports, safety managers strive to successfully prevent all serious tions have been created for construction safety (Zhou et al. 2012).
injuries (Huang and Hinze 2006; Weinstein et al. 2005). Advances in construction safety can be realized through advances
in technology and innovation. Although several technological ap-
plications have been created and implemented for BIM, safety data
BIM Safety Applications for Construction and information have yet to be included in the communication and
visualization capabilities of BIM. A need exists in the construction
The construction industry has recently started implementing tech-
industry to visualize safety data and analyze safety information
nological systems to promote safety. Safety applications have been
(specifically near misses) within a BIM. By having a positive in-
created within information and communication technologies
fluence on current practices in safety planning, technological sys-
(e.g., BIM, virtual design, and geographic information systems;
tems including BIM can provide pivotal information to reduce
Zhang et al. 2013; Kunz and Fischer 2009; Bansal 2011). Other
safety incident rates (Teizer et al. 2010; Cheng et al. 2011).
researchers have utilized the resource-tracking capabilities of
global positioning system (GPS) to detect spatial conflicts between
construction workers and heavy equipment, which can benefit from Research Methodology and Framework
four-dimensional visualization for identification of hazardous areas
(Pradhananga and Teizer 2013; Behzadan et al. 2008). Virtual real-
ity technology was selected to simulate typical construction tasks Framework for the Near-Miss Data-Visualization Tool
based on actual construction-site conditions for hazard planning A near-miss data-visualization tool utilizes a methodology of infor-
(Su et al. 2013). These advances and applications of technological mation flow from user input (either by manual input or from an
systems were implemented to assist in improving safety perfor- external database) to the near-miss database and can be output
mance on construction sites. through three different trajectories: (1) queried data at the request
Construction-project stakeholders are utilizing BIM to integrate of the user; (2) visualization within the BIM in two- or three-
many components of a construction project including building life- dimensional viewpoints; and (3) exported to external databases.
cycle (Azhar 2011), designing (Penttila 2007), planning, construc- The user interface and database communicate via programming
tion (Kymmell 2008), and operation (Akcamete et al. 2010). There codes specifically for near-miss data visualization and manage-
are several advances in applications for BIM platforms such as four- ment. The flowchart for this information is shown in Fig. 1.
dimensional structural clash detection (Eastman et al. 2011) and au- This visualization tool is functional in most commercially avail-
tomated safety rule checking (Kymmell 2008). These enhancements able BIM software. The tool was created using the open application

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Fig. 1. Filtering capabilities of reported near misses

Fig. 2. User interface initial screen for the near-miss visualization tool

programming interface (API) within a widely used BIM software. by various parameters. To create a near miss, the user accesses
The API aided in creating a new set of applications to create and the Near Miss tab within a BIM platform as shown in Fig. 2. Using
manipulate near-miss data including a user interface (Fig. 2). A this initial interface, the user can create a near-miss report, assign a
commonly used multiparadigm programming language was used severity value, access information of previously reported near
to create and customize the near-miss data-visualization tool user misses, and query near-miss information.
interface. The programming language was C#. This coding lan- In total, 22 different categories are available for data entry
guage is available upon request to the authors. Table 3 displays including the following: date and time of the near miss, a unique
the functions of the user interface created by coding and existing near-miss identification number, project name, company name,
algorithms within the API. crew involved, employees involved, event description, associated
tasks, and reviewer names and dates reviewed. Other available in-
Near-Miss Data-Visualization Tool for BIM put categories are described in Table 4.
These categories are assembled in a similar database template
The near-miss data-visualization tool was created to improve deci- created by the Construction Industry Institute (Marks et al. 2014).
sion making for safety managers and other construction-project Information within this template for each near miss can be viewed
stakeholders by accessing and analyzing near-miss information
within an active BIM. The usability of the tool was designed
for personnel not necessarily familiar with the intricacies of a de-
sign model such as BIM. For example, all user interactions with the Table 3. User Interface Functions
tool are simply decision criteria and data entry that require basic Algorithm Description
computing skills. The following sections describe the functionality Ribbon Add new applications to the software’s original interface
of the near-miss data-visualization tool and discuss specifically Select Choose or select the near-miss event in two- or
how near-miss information would be viewed and analyzed with three-dimensional view
a BIM. TaskDialog Provide warnings or allow end users to input information
A functional interface for the BIM near-miss visualization tool Event Enable a function to notify other functions when
was created for end users to facilitate the input and data analysis of something of interest occurs (e.g., clicking a tab invokes
near-miss information. The user interface enables safety managers the function of making a query)
to do the following functions: (1) create a near-miss report; (2) view Filtering Make a query based on a certain criterion
and edit information for each existing report; (3) visualize the Windows Create the near-miss report
forms
spatial location of a near-miss report; and (4) filter near misses

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 Table 4. Select Categories for Near-Miss Data Input
Category Description
Identification classification Near misses can be classified based on their cause using the Eindhoven classification technique that was adopted
and category for the construction industry (Marks et al. 2014; Kaplan et al. 1998; McKay 2013)
Investigative team Record the members of the near-miss investigative team for each near miss reported and investigated
Severity User ranks the severity of a near miss on a company-specific scale or using relative measures to historical near misses.
The scale allows for a range of three different severity scoring options
Root cause The chain-of-events that led to the reported near miss
Contributing cause Any other events or set of conditions that led to the reported near miss that were not identified as the root cause
Resolution description A summary of the mitigation strategy developed by the investigative team to be implemented and observed
Picture Users can upload a picture taken of the location of the near miss to observe existing and surrounding conditions
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and manipulated within a BIM at the near-miss location. This near- uploaded into the BIM platform database for visualization and
miss template is shown in Fig. 3. analysis using the created tool. For this transition to be effective,
The created tool allows for near misses to be reported through a external input database information should be formatted such that
few different methods. The user can input near-miss information each information category fits with the template within the BIM
manually as previously described. Another option, and probably near-miss visualization tool. A sample screenshot of an exported
the most preferred, is that users can identify a location within a BIM near-miss database created using the BIM near-miss visualization
and start the information-input process based on location-based tool is displayed in Fig. 5.
data of the individual near miss. This location-based data entry Filtering collected near-miss data is an important component to
within a BIM can be achieved in both three- and two-dimensional convert collected data into usable information for safety managers.
views. In the prototype shown in Fig. 4(a), the small filled The created user interface allows for user filtering of near-miss data
sphere represents the location of the near miss. Fig. 4(b) shows the by severity level, near-miss identification, time of day, equipment
location of a near-miss report in both two- and three-dimensional involved, and other quantifiable project-specific parameters input
viewpoints. by the user. This data filtering allows safety managers and other
A database linking input information with the existing model is project stakeholders to identify only high-severity near-miss reports
established. Most BIM platforms provide query functions that are for immediate mitigation or group only near misses associated with
accessed by the created visualization tool. The query capabilities a particular root cause. Users can also simply search for a specific
can be exported into common file formats for further analysis reported near miss by filtering based on identification number.
by other software programs if so desired by the user. Likewise, Fig. 6 shows the user-interface display when implementing a query
previously generated databases of near-miss information can be for a near-miss data set.

Fig. 3. Information template for reported near misses within BIM

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Fig. 4. (a) Three-dimensional and (b) two-dimensional view of the near-miss sphere in circle

Fig. 5. Exported near-miss database

Near-Miss Data-Visualization Tool Implementation

A prerequisite for implementing and maintaining the near-miss
data-visualization tool is a fully integrated and functioning BIM
for the design and construction process. Another prerequisite for
experiencing success using the near-miss data-visualization tool
is to have a fully implemented safety program that assesses safety
performance based on safety-leading indicator metrics including
near misses. Without an active and foundational safety program,
collecting and analyzing near-miss data would be premature.
The near-miss visualization tool can be linked as an additional
component to many commercially available BIM software and
existing database software.
Fig. 6. (a) Filtering capabilities of reported near misses by severity;
Depending on the company’s specific near-miss reporting
(b) searching near miss by unique identification number
program, the safety personnel and other managers should provide

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Fig. 7. Near-miss events visualized within a BIM

adequate training to all site personnel concerning the near-miss collected safety data can be visualized and accessible to all project
reporting process. Training materials and time for the near-miss stakeholders by integrating with BIM.
data-visualization tool should be limited to personnel with acces-
sibility to BIM. Effort levels of training for the tool can be tailored
toward the specific user. For example, crew supervisors collecting Expert Review Panel Feasibility Study
near-miss reports may not necessarily be interested in how to link Seven safety managers for construction companies were given a
external near-miss databases to the BIM. Regardless, all site per- demonstration of the created near-miss visualization tool. Members
sonnel should know that managers are able to visualize near-miss of the expert review panel were all Certified Safety Professionals
data. Furthermore, near-miss reporters should experience feedback and have a minimum of 8 years of experience as a safety manager.
from their near-miss report to encourage future reporting. The safety managers were all employed by construction companies
with a minimum of 1,700 employees. The OSHA total recordable
incident rate of these companies ranged from zero to two with an
Simulated Data Case Study
average value of 0.6.
A sample BIM was used to test and validate the near-miss data- Each participant was provided a description of the study, a
visualization tool prototype. The model was used to create a design, description of the created tool, and a demonstration of the tool
facilitate the construction process, and maintain the facility during in the BIM shown in Fig. 7. The demonstration included instruc-
operation of an engineering building on the University of Alaba- tions and presentations of all available functions of the near-miss
ma’s campus in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The BIM software used for visualization tool. In addition, several near-miss reports were ran-
both the model and near-miss data-visualization tool was Revit. A domly generated to demonstrate query functions and near-miss
list of 20 randomly generated near-miss events was structured for visualization within the model. After the demonstration, expert
visualization. Information about these near-miss events followed review panel members discussed the feasibility and functionality
the template shown previously in Fig. 7 so that each category of the tool and responded to survey statements about the created
was populated. The near misses were entered into the visualization tool. Comments from these discussions were recorded and ana-
tool using the following methods: lyzed to identify the content and frequency of each statement.
• Step 1: Manual entry through the user interface (single- For each statement, panel members were asked to score their per-
event entry). ceptions and understanding of the tool based on the following scale:
• Step 2: Link the external database to the created tool (multiple- (1) strongly disagree; (2) disagree; (3) unsure/neutral; (4) agree;
event entry). and (5) strongly agree. Table 5 provides a statistical analysis of each
Each near-miss event was verified that it appeared in the BIM answered question.
and the corresponding near-miss information was accessible. Infor- Most of the discussions of the safety experts focused on the
mation was also queried based on quantifiable data provided in the feasibility and ability to implement the created tool. The safety
created near-miss template. The events were queried by severity, experts discussed strategies on implementing the tool and specifi-
data, company, project, task associated, and near-miss identifica- cally cited that existing methods would satisfy all implementation
tion number. A similar methodology was used for another BIM needs. For example, employees would receive training and be
used for an engineering building (new construction). The resulting educated on the use of the tool as well as on the objective of im-
near-miss visualization within the model is shown in Fig. 7. plementing the tool. All agreed that if implemented, the visualiza-
Results from the case study indicate that near-miss events can be tion tool would be a useful enhancement to their existing safety
captured and visualized through BIM. New methods were devel- program.
oped to populate and automatically visualize near-miss informa- A majority of the safety expert review panel members scored
tion. The near-miss data-visualization tool has been successfully favorably (e.g., agreed or strongly agreed) with all mentioning
implemented on several real project models and all created capa- statements such as “the proposed tool would improve safety man-
bilities were demonstrated. The conducted research illustrates that agement,” “the tool is implementable,” and “the tool would be easy

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 Table 5. Safety Expert Review Panel Responses
Posed statement description Minimum score Maximum score Average score
A need exists to integrate safety data into existing project management tools 3 5 4.6
It is useful for safety managers to visualize safety information in three-dimensional models 3 5 4.2
The proposed tool would be easy to use 3 5 3.6
The proposed tool is implementable in my company 3 5 3.8
The proposed tool would enhance near-miss reporting 2 5 3.4
The proposed tool would be effective in safety-data management 3 5 3.8
The proposed tool would improve safety management 2 5 3.8

to use.” One barrier identified by a safety manager is the learning tools. Lastly, a more comprehensive tool is necessary to collect all
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curve and implementation of technology that has proven difficult pertinent safety data including injuries, hazard identifications, and
for this panelists’ company. Specifically, this company has histor- stop work authorities.
ically been slow to implement new technology and innovation due Future research could address these barriers to increase the ef-
to a resistance to change among employees. This panelist gave the ficiency of near-miss reporting and safety-data visualization. The
only two scores (e.g., disagree) received in the study. To overcome integration of BIM and spatial location-tracking technology can im-
this barrier, it was suggested by other panelists that an increased prove the efficiency and safety this reporting (Stowe et al. 2014).
time and money investment for the initial training element could These technologies, including radiofrequency identification, GPS,
be advantageous. One panelist suggested an experiential exercise and laser scanning can eventually automatically collect and store
where employees complete the near-miss reporting process through near-miss information and other safety data. In addition, the
BIM to realize the benefits. near-miss reports can be linked to other useful functions in BIM
Members of the safety expert review panel also discussed the including schedule correlation, which can enable near-miss report
tool postdemonstration. Statements that were repeated and agreed information to be available to safety managers during activity-
by a majority of the panel are recorded in the following: based hazard analysis procedures.
• Members identified the potential promotion of safety across the
company by integrating database capabilities of BIM with
safety data. Conclusion
• The tool is valuable for promoting safety and could greatly as-
sist companies already doing a satisfactory job of generating and This research outlined a framework for a near-miss data-
collecting near-miss reports to automate their data collection visualization tool to collect, manipulate, and disseminate near-miss
and analysis process. information. Near-miss reporting and analysis provides an addi-
• The tool gives safety managers a simple way to identify loca- tional metric for assessing worker safety performance. The created
tions where most near misses are occurring and reported. tool enables safety managers and other project stakeholders to visu-
• The concept would be beneficial not only to safety profes- alize and communicate about safety data within a project BIM. The
sionals, but also to anyone associated with project management feasibility of this approach has been shown by integrating the near-
on construction sites. miss data-visualization tool in an existing BIM design software.
The suggestions/opinions of this panel indicate an identified By utilizing this tool, hazardous situations and conditions can
industry desire for the created tool. During the interview, many pan- be reported as near misses and visualized by anyone accessing
elists requested a version of the reporting tool and research results the BIM. This visualization of construction-safety data during a
when completed, indicating the immediate use of the created tool. project’s duration promotes safety within a company and within
Other concepts including incorporating other safety data (e.g., haz- an active construction site. Contributions of this research include
ard identification) into a similar tool were also discussed. the creation of a near-miss visualization user interface, which al-
lows construction personnel to view near misses throughout a con-
struction project to identify hazardous areas and frequency of near
Discussion misses as well as feasibility study data of the created tool. From a
safety management viewpoint, time and effort of safety staff and
Several near misses from active construction sites were input and engineers can be focused and optimized by visualizing critical
tested by the interface successfully. Users were able to create, show, safety data such as near-miss reports.
and query the near misses with an easy accessible database. Expe-
rienced safety managers provided positive feedback based on a
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