When it was born, Singapore was a small island with few natural resources, newly independent from British rule. But, over the decades, it ended up transforming and reinventing itself until it became an economic miracle and a global model of success and innovation specially in Construction Industry.
Today Singapore is the most prosperous city-state in Asia, queen of energy efficiency and symbol of modernity. It is a mixture of private capitalism and state interventionism. A leading nation in education, health, infrastructure and economic competitiveness. And in terms of the construction industry, tech can’t be omitted, when it comes to implementing Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision to increase construction safety, improve productivity and monitor the progress at construction sites.
The benefits of using AI and Computer Vision for Singapore’s construction industry ranges from optimization of tasks to increased safety on construction sites.
Although construction is one of the least digitized sectors, workplaces are experiencing a constant transition from paper-based to digital workflows. The extraction of this new data will be more efficient, thanks to artificial intelligence. At viAct Singapore, we developed an Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision enables tool that can locate and control all machinery and risk factors to reduce accidents on site. One of our main goals is to examine risks related to construction worker safety.
In practice, the AI correlates the images taken in the works with the report of the accidents registered in a database and with the itineraries (traces) of heavy vehicles, understanding which and how many risks are involved in a specific job or a certain area of the work.
With viAct, there’s a calculated "Risk Rating" analytics for projects so risk prevention managers can be aware of potential threats.
Every year in Singapore, accidents on construction sites represent most workplace accidents, workers in the construction sector are subject to risk five times greater than any other type of worker. Therefore, it is evident that the reduction of accidents represents a priority for the world of construction at a global level, also because accidents influence schedules and costs.
According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), between November 23 and December 2 (2020), two deaths were reported in the construction industry. This number began to increase during late January and February. (Source: Ministry of Manpower)
Specifically, in February, some alarming accidents took place which increased the figures in comparison to 2020. In only one month, 7 deaths started to set a “worrying trend” in the construction workplaces. (Source: Channel News Asia)
viAct’s goal in Singapore is to start decreasing these numbers and provide a full safety system for construction sites along with a lot of data each year, field reports, construction site photos, supplier contracts, and inspection records. A particularly innovative idea is to track the position of trucks and all moving vehicles on a construction site, to understand movements and possible risk factors. In addition, the technology could make work easier, for example by pre-alerting workers assigned to concrete about the arrival of trucks.
The model made with these data identifies the degree of risk of a process or a construction site, pointing out the possible sources of accidents so that it is possible to take measures to prevent them. AI tool provides accurate data and insights, helping construction contractors maximize job site safety, value, and productivity.
At viAct, we use AI to examine massive amounts of images and videos taken on a construction site and detect potential hazards. Our software uses image recognition algorithms to identify specific search criteria, such as helmets, safety vests, and high visibility colours, so you can dig up images and highlight construction workers who are not wearing the proper safety attire, or possibly they are violating safety guidelines. In a matter of minutes, search results are collected, collated, and delivered to a site supervisor - a task that would otherwise take several hours to complete.
Are you keen to know more that how you can automate your next construction site in Singapore with viAct?