Workload analysis of rebar worker using wearable wristband in Hong Kong 6-day cycle building construction

Abstract

In Hong Kong, the building workers are pressurised to deliver the tight 6-day cycle construction schedules on time. Therefore, the workloads of rebar workers are heavy to meet the project deadline. Although the salaries are considerably high, the young workers are not willing to join the industry due to heavy workload. With the development of wearable health devices that are equipped with biosensors, such as wearable wristband equipped with heart rate (HR) sensors, the health status of construction workers can be smartly monitored. The wristbands can be worn by the workers without causing much site work interruption. Based on the HR data, the heart rate reserve percentage (%HRR) can be calculated to quantify the workers’ physical demand and workload when performing site activities. Wristbands have been proven to be a feasible tool for measuring workers’ physical demands. However, no research has investigated the 6-day cycle workloads of rebar workers on site. As such, this research study proposed a 5-step method to measure the physical demand based on %HRR of rebar workers using wearable wristbands. The steps are: (1) Select suitable wearable wristband devices; (2) Identify suitable workers; (3) Prepare data collection; (3) Collect and store sensor data; and (5) Analyse workers’ physical demand based on %HRR. A practical case study is used to demonstrate the application of the proposed method. The results show that the workloads are different among the rebar workers and among the work cycles. As a result, this approach shows the potential of quantifying and monitoring workers’ workload on site for planning workload among available workforce.