Right-time vs real-time pro-active construction safety and health system architecture

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jochen Teizer
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Critical Time ◽  
Construction Safety ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
High Concern

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the critical time window for pro-active construction accident prevention and response. Large to small organisations throughout the entire construction supply chain continue to be challenged to adequately prevent accidents. Construction worker injuries and fatalities represent significant waste of resources. Although the five C’s (culture, competency, communication, controls and contractors) have been focusing on compliance, good practices and best-in-class strategies, even industry leaders have only marginal improvements in recorded safety statistics for many years. Design/methodology/approach Right-time vs real-time construction safety and health identifies three major focus areas to aid in the development of a strategic, as opposed to tactical, response. Occupational safety and health by design, real-time safety and health monitoring and alerts and education, training and feedback leveraging state-of-the-art technology provide meaningful predictive, quantitative and qualitative measures to identify, correlate and eliminate hazards before workers get injured or incidents cause collateral damage. Findings The current state and development of existing innovative initiatives in the occupational construction safety and health domain are identified. A framework for right-time vs real-time construction safety and health presents the specific focus on automated safety and health data gathering, analysis and reporting to achieve better safety performance. The developed roadmap for right-time vs real-time safety and health is finally tested in selected application scenarios of high concern in the construction industry. Originality/value A strategic roadmap to eliminate hazards and accidents through right-time vs real-time automation is presented that has practical as well as social implications on conducting a rigorous safety culture and climate in a construction business and its entire supply chain.

Survey of graduate supply chain courses: content, coverage and gaps

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Lutz ◽  
Laura Birou ◽  
Joe Walden
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Gap Analysis ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Graduate Courses ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Course Content

PurposeThis paper aims to provide the results of a survey of courses dedicated to the field of supply chain management in higher education. This research is unique because it represents the first large-scale study of graduate supply chain management courses taught at universities globally. Design/methodology/approachContent analysis was performed on each syllabus to identify the actual course content: requirements, pedagogy and content emphasis. This aggregated information was used to compare historical research findings in this area, with the current skills identified as important for career success. This data provides input for a gap analysis between offerings in higher education and those needs identified by practitioners. FindingsData gathering efforts yielded a sample of 112 graduate courses representing 61 schools across the world. The aggregate number of topics covered in graduate courses totaled 114. The primary evaluation techniques include exams, projects and homework. Details regarding content and assessment techniques are provided along with a gap analysis between the supply chain management course content and the needs identified by APICS Supply Chain Manager Competency Model (2014). Originality/valueThe goal is to use this data as a means of continuous improvement in the quality and value of the educational experience on a longitudinal basis. The findings are designed to foster information sharing and provide data for benchmarking efforts in the development of supply chain management courses and curricula in academia, as well as training, development and recruitment efforts by professionals in the field of supply chain management.

International benchmarking for performance improvement in construction safety and health

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 916-936 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lance W. Saunders ◽  
Andrew P McCoy ◽  
Brian M. Kleiner ◽  
Helen Lingard ◽  
Tracy Cooke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Construction Safety ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Worker Safety ◽  
Potential Hazard ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Project Lifecycle

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to advance knowledge on the advantages of integrating safety earlier in the construction project lifecycle. Design/methodology/approach – A case study approach is used to collect data from construction sites in the USA, which performs poorly in construction safety and health, and Australia (AU), which performs well in construction safety and health. Qualitative data are collected to determine how and when safety is considered in the project lifecycle in both countries, and then the results are benchmarked to determine the benefits of addressing safety earlier in the process. Findings – Data show that addressing a potential hazard earlier in the project lifecycle has performance benefits in terms of the level of hazard control. Research limitations/implications – The processes that are identified as possibly explaining the performance difference are just based on qualitative data from interviews. Targeted research addressing the relationship between these processes and safety outcomes is an opportunity for further research. Practical implications – The case study data are used to identify specific processes that are used in AU that might be adopted in the USA to improve performance by integrating safety earlier into the decision-making process. Social implications – This paper highlights the advantages of integrating safety as a decision factor early in the process. Worker safety is not just an issue in the construction industry, and thus the findings are applicable to all industries in which worker safety is an issue. Originality/value – This paper advances the safety in design literature by quantitatively supporting the link between when a hazard is addressed and performance. It also links the results to specific processes across countries, which advances the literature because most research in this area to data is within a single country.

Blockchain technology development and implementation for global logistics operations: a reference model perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rukshanda Kamran ◽  
Nasreen Khan ◽  
Balan Sundarakani
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Reference Model ◽  
Process Efficiency ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Logistics Industry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Traceability System ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Global Logistics

Purpose Blockchain technology offers a lot of potential benefits in supply chain management. However, there is a need of a reference model which addresses the gaps in existing frameworks. This paper aims to propose a blockchain technology-based reference model which can be applied to global logistics operations. Design/methodology/approach The researchers have integrated the fit-for-purpose theoretical framework and prototyping methodology to design the reference model, a blockchain-based logistics, tracking and traceability system (BLTTS). The researchers demonstrated the application of the reference model through a health-care supply chain case study. The proposed BLTTS can be implemented across global logistics operations for business performance improvement. Findings The research provides a framework and recommendations for global companies to consider when adopting the blockchain technology for implementation. The researchers found that the Ethereum blockchain technology improves security of the data shared within the block through the secure hashing algorithm 1. The hash algorithm ensures anonymity of the involved parties. The model integrates blockchain with supply chain thus creating transparent process, efficiency and real-time communication. Research limitations/implications The reference model will offer a better solution to global logistics operations challenges. It provides recommendations to key stakeholders involved in logistics operations segment of the logistics industry while adopting blockchain technology. Apart from the methodological limitation of the study, the system compatibility and the layer configuration aspects might be posing potential challenges while upscaling the implementation. Originality/value The proposed reference model overcomes the drawbacks of existing models as it integrates Ethereum technology. In addition, the researchers have applied the model to demonstrate its functioning in real-time environment, which could guide for future research.

Cassandra-based data repository design for food supply chain traceability

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandeep Kumar Singh ◽  
Mamata Jenamani
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Radio Frequency Identification ◽  
Query Language ◽  
Data Repository ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Real ◽  
Traceability System ◽  
Real Time Data

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to design a supply chain database schema for Cassandra to store real-time data generated by Radio Frequency IDentification technology in a traceability system. Design/methodology/approach The real-time data generated in such traceability systems are of high frequency and volume, making it difficult to handle by traditional relational database technologies. To overcome this difficulty, a NoSQL database repository based on Casandra is proposed. The efficacy of the proposed schema is compared with two such databases, document-based MongoDB and column family-based Cassandra, which are suitable for storing traceability data. Findings The proposed Cassandra-based data repository outperforms the traditional Structured Query Language-based and MongoDB system from the literature in terms of concurrent reading, and works at par with respect to writing and updating of tracing queries. Originality/value The proposed schema is able to store the real-time data generated in a supply chain with low latency. To test the performance of the Cassandra-based data repository, a test-bed is designed in the lab and supply chain operations of Indian Public Distribution System are simulated to generate data.

Real-time data processing in supply chain management: revealing the uncertainty dilemma

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (10) ◽  
pp. 1003-1019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Lechler ◽  
Angelo Canzaniello ◽  
Bernhard Roßmann ◽  
Heiko A. von der Gracht ◽  
Evi Hartmann
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Data Processing ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Data Science ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Real Time Data Processing

Purpose Particularly in volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) business conditions, staff in supply chain management (SCM) look to real-time (RT) data processing to reduce uncertainties. However, based on the premise that data processing can be perfectly mastered, such expectations do not reflect reality. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether RT data processing reduces SCM uncertainties under real-world conditions. Design/methodology/approach Aiming to facilitate communication on the research question, a Delphi expert survey was conducted to identify challenges of RT data processing in SCM operations and to assess whether it does influence the reduction of SCM uncertainty. In total, 14 prospective statements concerning RT data processing in SCM operations were developed and evaluated by 68 SCM and data-science experts. Findings RT data processing was found to have an ambivalent influence on the reduction of SCM complexity and associated uncertainty. Analysis of the data collected from the study participants revealed a new type of uncertainty related to SCM data itself. Originality/value This paper discusses the challenges of gathering relevant, timely and accurate data sets in VUCA environments and creates awareness of the relationship between data-related uncertainty and SCM uncertainty. Thus, it provides valuable insights for practitioners and the basis for further research on this subject.

scholarly journals Modeling of an IoT-enabled supply chain for perishable food with two-echelon supply hubs

2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (9) ◽  
pp. 1890-1905 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingfeng Zhang ◽  
Lin Zhao ◽  
Cheng Qian
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Food Supply Chain ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Real ◽  
Industrial Parks ◽  
Iot Devices ◽  
Real Time Information

Purpose The huge demand for fresh goods has stimulated lots of research on the perishable food supply chain. The characteristics of perishable food and the cross-regional transportation have brought many challenges to the operation models of perishable food supply chain. The purpose of this paper is to address these challenges based on the real-time data acquired by the Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Design/methodology/approach IoT and the modeling of the Supply Hub in Industrial Parks were adopted in the perishable food supply chain. Findings A conceptual model was established for the IoT-enabled perishable food supply chain with two-echelon supply hubs. The performance of supply chain has improved when implementing the proposed model, as is demonstrated by a case study. Originality/value By our model, the supply hubs which act as the dominators of the supply chain can respond to the real-time information captured from the operation processes of an IoT-enabled supply chain, thus to provide public warehousing and logistic services.

scholarly journals Development of risk assessment tool using damaging energy and argumentation theory for evaluating construction occupational safety and health risks

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nor Haslinda Abas ◽  
Nick Blismas ◽  
Helen Lingard
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Phase I ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Damage Model ◽  
Argumentation Theory ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Risk Assessment Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Safety And Health

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the development of a risk assessment model to assess the occupational safety and health (OSH) risks presented by different construction approaches, namely traditional and industrialised building system (IBS). The development process applies the concept of argumentation theory, which helps construction designers integrate the management of OSH risk into the design process. In addition, an energy damage model is used as an underpinning framework for developing the model.Design/methodology/approachDevelopment of the model was achieved through two phases. Phase I involved collection of data on the activities involved in the construction process and their associated OSH risks, derived from five different case studies, field observation and interviews. Knowledge of design aspects that have the potential to impact on OSH was obtained from document analysis. Using the knowledge obtained in phase I, a model was developed in the form of argument trees (Phase II), which represent a reasoning template with regard to options available to designers when they make judgements about aspects of their designs. Inferences from these aspects eventually determined the magnitude of the damaging energies for every activity involved. Finally, the model was validated by panels of experts, and revisions and amendments were made to the model accordingly.FindingsThe risk assessment model development revealed that the concept of argumentation theory and energy damage model is suitable to represent design safety risk knowledge and effectively address the designer's role in making decisions in their designs and further illuminate the level of OSH risk their designs pose.Practical implicationsThe developed model provides best-practice reasoning support for construction designers, which help them to understand the impact of their designs decisions on worker's safety and health, and thereby assist them to further mitigate the risk to an acceptable level.Originality/valueThis study departs from the existing tool in that the model was developed based upon the combination of argumentation theory and energy damage model. The significance of the model is discussed.

An Internet of Things (IoT)-based risk monitoring system for managing cold supply chain risks

2018 ◽  
Vol 118 (7) ◽  
pp. 1432-1462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y.P. Tsang ◽  
K.L. Choy ◽  
C.H. Wu ◽  
G.T.S. Ho ◽  
Cathy H.Y. Lam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Product Quality ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Cold Chain ◽  
Safety Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Risk Monitoring ◽  
Safety Risks

PurposeSince the handling of environmentally sensitive products requires close monitoring under prescribed conditions throughout the supply chain, it is essential to manage specific supply chain risks, i.e. maintaining good environmental conditions, and ensuring occupational safety in the cold environment. The purpose of this paper is to propose an Internet of Things (IoT)-based risk monitoring system (IoTRMS) for controlling product quality and occupational safety risks in cold chains. Real-time product monitoring and risk assessment in personal occupational safety can be then effectively established throughout the entire cold chain.Design/methodology/approachIn the design of IoTRMS, there are three major components for risk monitoring in cold chains, namely: wireless sensor network; cloud database services; and fuzzy logic approach. The wireless sensor network is deployed to collect ambient environmental conditions automatically, and the collected information is then managed and applied to a product quality degradation model in the cloud database. The fuzzy logic approach is applied in evaluating the cold-associated occupational safety risk of the different cold chain parties considering specific personal health status. To examine the performance of the proposed system, a cold chain service provider is selected for conducting a comparative analysis before and after applying the IoTRMS.FindingsThe real-time environmental monitoring ensures that the products handled within the desired conditions, namely temperature, humidity and lighting intensity so that any violation of the handling requirements is visible among all cold chain parties. In addition, for cold warehouses and rooms in different cold chain facilities, the personal occupational safety risk assessment is established by considering the surrounding environment and the operators’ personal health status. The frequency of occupational safety risks occurring, including cold-related accidents and injuries, can be greatly reduced. In addition, worker satisfaction and operational efficiency are improved. Therefore, it provides a solid foundation for assessing and identifying product quality and occupational safety risks in cold chain activities.Originality/valueThe cold chain is developed for managing environmentally sensitive products in the right conditions. Most studies found that the risks in cold chain are related to the fluctuation of environmental conditions, resulting in poor product quality and negative influences on consumer health. In addition, there is a lack of occupational safety risk consideration for those who work in cold environments. Therefore, this paper proposes IoTRMS to contribute the area of risk monitoring by means of the IoT application and artificial intelligence techniques. The risk assessment and identification can be effectively established, resulting in secure product quality and appropriate occupational safety management.

scholarly journals Robot-enabled execution system for perishables auction logistics

2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (9) ◽  
pp. 1954-1971 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang T.R. Kong ◽  
Ray Y. Zhong ◽  
Gangyan Xu ◽  
George Q. Huang
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Workflow Management ◽  
Food Supply Chain ◽  
Time Saving ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Execution Model

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a concept of cloud auction robot (CAR) and its execution platform for transforming perishable food supply chain management. A new paradigm of goods-to-person auction execution model is proposed based on CARs. This paradigm can shift the management of traditional manual working to automated execution with great space and time saving. A scalable CAR-enabled execution system (CARES) is presented to manage logistics workflows, tasks and behavior of CAR-Agents in handling the real-time events and associated data. Design/methodology/approach An Internet of Things enabled auction environment is designed. The robot is used to pick up and deliver the auction products and commends are given to the robot in real-time. CARES architecture is proposed while integrating three core services from auction workflow management, auction task management, to auction execution control. A system prototype was developed to show its execution through physical emulations and experiments. Findings The CARES could well schedule the tasks for each robot to minimize their waiting time. The total execution time is reduced by 33 percent on average. Space utilization for each auction studio is improved by about 50 percent per day. Originality/value The CAR-enabled execution model and system is simulated and verified in a ubiquitous auction environment so as to upgrade the perishable food supply chain management into a new level which is automated and real-time. The proposed system is flexible to cope with different auction scenarios, such as different auction mechanisms and processes, with high reconfigurability and scalability.

scholarly journals Design for occupational safety and health: key attributes for organisational capability

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 2614-2636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Manu ◽  
Anush Poghosyan ◽  
Abdul-Majeed Mahamadu ◽  
Lamine Mahdjoubi ◽  
Alistair Gibb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Occupational Injuries ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Design ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Top Management Commitment ◽  
Design Firms

Purpose Against the backdrop of the contribution of design to the occurrence of occupational injuries and illnesses in construction, design for occupational safety and health (DfOSH) is increasingly becoming prominent in the construction sector. To ensure that design interventions are safe for construction workers to build and maintain, design firms need to have the appropriate organisational capability in respect of DfOSH. However, empirical insight regarding the attributes that constitute DfOSH organisational capability is lacking. The purpose of this paper, which trailblases the subject of DfOSH organisational capability in construction, is to address two key questions: what organisational attributes determine DfOSH capability? What is the relative priority of the capability attributes? Design/methodology/approach The study employed three iterations of expert focus group discussion and a subsequent three-round Delphi technique accompanied by the application of voting analytic hierarchy process. Findings The study revealed 18 capability attributes nested within six categories, namely: competence (the competence of organisation’s design staff); strategy (the consideration of DfOSH in organisation’s vision as well as the top management commitment); corporate experience (organisation’s experience in implementing DfOSH on projects); systems (systems, processes and procedures required for implementing DfOSH); infrastructure (physical, and information and communication technology resources); and collaboration (inter- and intra-organisational collaboration to implement DfOSH on projects). Whilst these categories and their nested attributes carry varying weights of importance, collectively, the competence-related attributes are the most important, followed by strategy. Originality/value The findings should enable design firms and other key industry stakeholders (such as the clients who appoint them) to understand designers’ DfOSH capability better. Additionally, design firms should be able to prioritise efforts/investment to enhance their DfOSH capability.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document