LED technology monitors safety on construction sites

LED technology is being used on metro system construction sites in Jakarta, Indonesia, to provide a brightly lit message to workers regarding the dangers of tilting buildings.

Known as ‘On-Site Visualization’ (OSV), and developed by the Kobe University Graduate School of Engineering in Japan, this real-time data processing technology can check building safety levels by attaching a device with built-in LEDs to walls and pillars.

The LEDs then light up like traffic lights to indicate any irregularities and the relevant danger level — blue indicates “no irregularities”, while yellow and red warn of “danger of collapse”.

Image caption: The LEC (left) and LEIS (right) were attached to walls on construction sites to measure irregularities and warn of changes in the structures.

In many developing countries, an increase in public works is accompanied by a sharp rise of accidents. According to the project researchers, this safety monitoring method offers a clear, visual warning system for workers in countries with low literacy rates.

“I want to build a human network that combines know-how from different fields to improve levels of safety and security,” said Professor Akutagawa Shinichi, at Kobe University, who oversaw the technology use during the project.

The two types of LED safety monitoring devices developed were implemented on construction sites in Jakarta as part of a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) project, which also involved participants from private organisations.

The teams monitored safety levels using OSV technology at three metro system building sites in the centre of Jakarta. The head of construction at Jakarta MRT, the company managing the public construction works, stated the technology means they can “now expect higher standards of safety management”.