Revolutionizing Construction Safety: Unveiling the Digital Potential of Building Information Modeling (BIM)

The construction industry is facing issues worldwide, particularly worker fatalities and injury rates. Construction safety requires careful attention and preparation across the project’s entire lifecycle, from design to demolition activities. In the digital era, Building Information Modeling (BIM) h...

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Main Authors: Bilal Manzoor, Rabia Charef, Maxwell Fordjour Antwi-Afari, Khalid Saqer Alotaibi, Ehsan Harirchian
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Buildings
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/5/828
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author Bilal Manzoor
Rabia Charef
Maxwell Fordjour Antwi-Afari
Khalid Saqer Alotaibi
Ehsan Harirchian
author_facet Bilal Manzoor
Rabia Charef
Maxwell Fordjour Antwi-Afari
Khalid Saqer Alotaibi
Ehsan Harirchian
author_sort Bilal Manzoor
collection DOAJ
description The construction industry is facing issues worldwide, particularly worker fatalities and injury rates. Construction safety requires careful attention and preparation across the project’s entire lifecycle, from design to demolition activities. In the digital era, Building Information Modeling (BIM) has emerged as a transformative technology in the construction industry, offering new opportunities to enhance safety standards and reduce accidents. This study examines the influence of BIM on construction safety, particularly its capacity to transform safety protocols, enhance danger identification, and minimize accidents during the construction project’s duration. The review approach used is based on PRISMA. Scopus and Web of Science were the databases used to search for qualifying publications. From an initial cohort of 502 papers, 125 were chosen as relevant to the scope of this research. A thorough analysis of the existing literature was conducted to examine the processes by which BIM helps to improve safety, such as early hazards identification, conflict detection, virtual safety simulations, and improved communication and collaboration among project stakeholders. This study examined the following knowledge gaps: integration with safety regulations and standards, a comprehensive safety dimension in BIM, BIM for real-time safety monitoring, and a BIM-driven safety culture. The following potential future research directions were highlighted: enhanced BIM applications for safety, longitudinal studies on BIM and safety outcomes, BIM for post-construction safety and maintenance, and BIM for safety training and simulation. In conclusion, the integration of BIM into construction safety protocols presents significant potential for mitigating risks and improving safety management over the asset lifecycle. As the industry increasingly adopts digital technology, BIM will be crucial in establishing safer and more efficient construction environments.
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spelling doaj-art-a26b4967f4934e05ab9a4d0f3026f1622025-08-20T02:53:02ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092025-03-0115582810.3390/buildings15050828Revolutionizing Construction Safety: Unveiling the Digital Potential of Building Information Modeling (BIM)Bilal Manzoor0Rabia Charef1Maxwell Fordjour Antwi-Afari2Khalid Saqer Alotaibi3Ehsan Harirchian4Department of Building and Real Estate, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, ChinaLancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YW, UKDepartment of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, UKDepartment of Civil and Construction Engineering, College of Engineering, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 31451, Saudi ArabiaInstitute of Structural Mechanics (ISM), Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, 99423 Weimar, GermanyThe construction industry is facing issues worldwide, particularly worker fatalities and injury rates. Construction safety requires careful attention and preparation across the project’s entire lifecycle, from design to demolition activities. In the digital era, Building Information Modeling (BIM) has emerged as a transformative technology in the construction industry, offering new opportunities to enhance safety standards and reduce accidents. This study examines the influence of BIM on construction safety, particularly its capacity to transform safety protocols, enhance danger identification, and minimize accidents during the construction project’s duration. The review approach used is based on PRISMA. Scopus and Web of Science were the databases used to search for qualifying publications. From an initial cohort of 502 papers, 125 were chosen as relevant to the scope of this research. A thorough analysis of the existing literature was conducted to examine the processes by which BIM helps to improve safety, such as early hazards identification, conflict detection, virtual safety simulations, and improved communication and collaboration among project stakeholders. This study examined the following knowledge gaps: integration with safety regulations and standards, a comprehensive safety dimension in BIM, BIM for real-time safety monitoring, and a BIM-driven safety culture. The following potential future research directions were highlighted: enhanced BIM applications for safety, longitudinal studies on BIM and safety outcomes, BIM for post-construction safety and maintenance, and BIM for safety training and simulation. In conclusion, the integration of BIM into construction safety protocols presents significant potential for mitigating risks and improving safety management over the asset lifecycle. As the industry increasingly adopts digital technology, BIM will be crucial in establishing safer and more efficient construction environments.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/5/828construction safetybuilding information modeling (BIM)digital technologiesconstruction industryhazard detection
spellingShingle Bilal Manzoor
Rabia Charef
Maxwell Fordjour Antwi-Afari
Khalid Saqer Alotaibi
Ehsan Harirchian
Revolutionizing Construction Safety: Unveiling the Digital Potential of Building Information Modeling (BIM)
Buildings
construction safety
building information modeling (BIM)
digital technologies
construction industry
hazard detection
title Revolutionizing Construction Safety: Unveiling the Digital Potential of Building Information Modeling (BIM)
title_full Revolutionizing Construction Safety: Unveiling the Digital Potential of Building Information Modeling (BIM)
title_fullStr Revolutionizing Construction Safety: Unveiling the Digital Potential of Building Information Modeling (BIM)
title_full_unstemmed Revolutionizing Construction Safety: Unveiling the Digital Potential of Building Information Modeling (BIM)
title_short Revolutionizing Construction Safety: Unveiling the Digital Potential of Building Information Modeling (BIM)
title_sort revolutionizing construction safety unveiling the digital potential of building information modeling bim
topic construction safety
building information modeling (BIM)
digital technologies
construction industry
hazard detection
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/5/828
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