Risk determination apparatus and risk determination system

Abstract

To provide a risk determination apparatus that determines the risk level of a near-miss event such as approach between a heavy machine and people, presents it to a site manager or the like, and enables the site manager or the like to set priorities according to response standards that differ for each site.SOLUTION: A risk assessment apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a near-miss data table for storing near-miss data including information on near-miss events occurred by a construction machine approaching an object, wherein the information is received from the construction machine; a feedback storage unit for recording feedback on the near-miss event that has occurred in the past; a risk determination unit for, upon receiving the data relating to the near-miss event from the construction machine, referring to the near-miss data table and the feedback storage unit to determine the risk level of the near-miss event; and a notification information generating unit for generating notification information that includes information related to the risk level and that is used to notify at least a manager of the site where the construction machine is used.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2A

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and system for determining and presenting a risk level from information collected at a construction site. [Background technology]

[0002] Civil engineering construction sites involve work in which people and heavy machinery are in close proximity, and the risk of collisions between heavy machinery and people is higher than in other industries. In response to this, in addition to methods to avoid collisions using the functions of heavy machinery, efforts are being made to improve safety awareness on site through on-site safety education and measures.

[0003] In on-site safety education and countermeasures, it is effective to identify on-site risks based on near-miss incidents (events where something dangerous happened but did not result in a disaster, so-called attempted accidents) that have actually occurred on-site and then take countermeasures. On the other hand, at civil engineering construction sites, work where people and heavy machinery come into close proximity is a common occurrence, so it is important to effectively identify near-miss incidents that require countermeasures. In addition, since on-site workers are more likely to recognize near-miss incidents immediately after they occur, it is important to respond to serious near-miss incidents as soon as they occur and to provide further education at a later date.

[0004] In this field, prior art methods, such as those described in Patent Document 1, involve presenting site managers with hazard prediction information including specific safety measures for hazards predicted from the work content, thereby enabling appropriate safety management. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-242202 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, because construction companies have different awareness of safety, it is difficult for conventional techniques to appropriately determine dangerous events that should be presented to site managers.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a risk assessment device that can determine the risk level of near-miss events such as approach between heavy machinery and people, and present this to site managers, etc., so that the site managers, etc. can set priorities according to response criteria that differ from site to site. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The risk assessment device of the present invention has a near-miss data table that stores near-miss data including information on near-miss events that occur due to the construction machine approaching an object and that is received from the construction machine, a feedback accumulation unit that records feedback on near-miss events that have occurred in the past, a risk assessment unit that, upon receiving data on near-miss events from the construction machine, determines the risk level of the near-miss event by referring to the near-miss data table and the feedback accumulation unit, and a notification information generation unit that generates notification information including information on the risk level and to notify at least the manager of the site where the construction machine is being used. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, the risk level of a near-miss event such as the approach of a heavy machine to a person can be determined. This information is then presented to site managers, who can then set priorities according to the different response standards for each site. This allows site managers to implement appropriate measures and safety training based on the set priorities, enabling effective safety improvements at the site. Further features related to the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings. In addition, the problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a system configuration according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2A] FIG. 1 is a functional configuration diagram of a risk assessment device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2B] FIG. 1 is a functional configuration diagram of a construction machine used in a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3A] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining notification to an administrator using an app in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining notification to an administrator using email in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining screens to be presented to an administrator in an embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 4A is an example of a screen when statistical data is presented, and FIG. 4B is an example of a screen when individual data is presented. [Figure 5A] 3 shows an example of a data structure of a site management table in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5B] 10 shows an example of the data structure of a notification target list in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5C] 3 shows an example of a data structure of near-miss data in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5D] 3 shows an example of a data structure of an FB (feedback) history in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6A] 3 is a flowchart showing a process executed by a risk assessment device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6B] 3 is a flowchart showing a process executed by a risk assessment device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6C] 3 is a flowchart showing a process executed by a risk assessment device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart showing a process executed by the risk assessment device when data is received from heavy machinery in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart showing a process executed by the risk assessment device when receiving feedback from a site manager in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 4 is a flowchart showing a process executed by the risk assessment device when presenting a screen based on a risk level assessment in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10A] FIG. 10 is a functional configuration diagram of a risk assessment device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10B] FIG. 10 is a functional configuration diagram of a heavy machine used in a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 10 shows an example of a data structure of an FB history in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12A] 10 is a flowchart showing a process executed by a risk assessment device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12B] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a judgment method when feedback is received from both a person and heavy machinery. [Figure 13A] FIG. 10 is a functional configuration diagram of a risk assessment device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13B] FIG. 10 is a functional configuration diagram of a construction machine used in a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart showing a process executed by a risk assessment device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings for explaining this embodiment, the same reference numerals are used to denote parts having the same functions, and the same reference numerals will be used repeatedly. The explanation may be omitted.

[0012] [Example 1] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the system configuration of a construction site including a risk assessment device (near miss management system) 100. It is assumed that there are multiple heavy machines (construction machines) 110 and workers 120 at a construction site 150. In this embodiment, a heavy machine such as a hydraulic excavator is assumed as an example of the construction machine.

[0013] The heavy equipment 110 is connected to the risk assessment device 100 via a public line 101 , and the terminal of the site manager 130 is connected to the risk assessment device 100 via the public line 101 and a relay station 140 .

[0014] When the heavy equipment 110 detects approaching workers at the construction site 150 or when the heavy equipment 110's tilt angle exceeds a certain standard, creating a risk of tipping over, the heavy equipment 110 issues a warning to the heavy equipment operator. The heavy equipment 110 also collects and transmits to the risk assessment device 100 any information that can be collected, such as operation data before and after the approach detection, surrounding footage, and information on the location of detected workers, as near-miss event data (an event in which something dangerous occurred but did not result in a disaster, a so-called attempted accident). When the risk assessment device 100 receives information about these near-miss events, it notifies a pre-registered construction site manager, such as the site manager 130, of the near-miss event. The risk assessment device 100 also accumulates feedback from the site manager 130 who received the notification. The risk assessment device 100 combines the accumulated near-miss event data with feedback data on the near-miss events, determines the risk level of the near-miss event, and presents the determined risk level to the site manager 130. In this way, by presenting the data on near miss events to the site manager 130 along with the risk level, the site manager 130 can set priorities based on the risk level, which contributes to improving the safety of the construction site 150. In this embodiment, near miss events refer to the approach of the heavy equipment 110 to other objects (including the heavy equipment 110 and the worker 120) and the tilting of the heavy equipment 110.

[0015] Next, the functions for realizing this embodiment will be described. Fig. 2A shows the hardware and software configuration of the risk assessment device 100, and Fig. 2B shows the hardware configuration of the heavy equipment 110.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 2A, the risk assessment device 100 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201, a communication I / F (Interface) 202, a memory 204, a storage 205, and an internal bus 203 for connecting these. The risk assessment device is assumed to be a general PC, server, or cloud. Note that in Fig. 2A, the storage 205 and the CPU 201 for executing the program are depicted as the same device, but the storage 205 may be realized using multiple devices, such as a DB (Data Base) server.

[0017] A near-miss data receiving program 211, a feedback receiving program 212, and a near-miss data presentation program 213 are executed on the CPU 201. The near-miss data receiving program 211, the feedback receiving program 212, and the near-miss data presentation program 213 are deployed on the memory 204. A site management table 251, a notification target list 252, video data and operation history 253, a near-miss data table 254, construction drawings and construction plans 255, and FB (Feedback) history 256 are stored on the storage 205.

[0018] The site management table 251 is information for identifying each site, and is stored in advance by the system manager. The site manager assigns an ID to each site, and the site manager sets detailed information.

[0019] The notification recipient list 252 sets the recipients to whom near-miss incident data is to be notified when the risk assessment device 100 receives the data from heavy machinery, and is set appropriately for each site. The notification method is expected to be notification by email or a dedicated app for smartphones, etc.

[0020] The video data / operation history 253 records the operation history and video data at the time of the near miss incident transmitted from the heavy machine 110. When the near miss incident data receiving program 211 receives the near miss incident data, it is set and updated.

[0021] The near-miss data table 254 is set with data for managing near-miss data transmitted from the heavy equipment 110. The table is set when near-miss data is received by the near-miss data receiving program 211, and is updated by the near-miss data presentation program based on the feedback history 256.

[0022] The construction drawings and construction plans 255 are data set in advance by the site manager, and data such as construction drawings of the construction site and construction plans showing the work content for each date, time, and location are saved.

[0023] The feedback history 256 records the actions taken by the site manager or the like who received the near miss data after receiving the notification (such as contacting the operator of the heavy equipment 110, checking the details of the data, or not taking any action). The feedback history 256 is updated by the feedback receiving program 212, as will be described later.

[0024] The near-miss data receiving program 211 has, as its functional units, a near-miss data accumulation unit 221, a risk determination unit 222, and a notification information generation unit 223. When the near-miss data receiving program 211 receives near-miss data from the heavy equipment 110, the near-miss data accumulation unit 221 stores the data in the video data and operation history 253 and the near-miss data table 254. The risk determination unit 222 then refers to the construction drawings and construction plans 255 to confirm the work being performed at that time, and determines the currently assumed risk level from the near-miss data table 254 and feedback history 256. The notification information generation unit 223 then generates notification content, and the near-miss data presentation program 213 notifies the near-miss data to the terminal of the notification recipient based on the settings in the notification recipient list 252 via the communication I / F 202. Here, the notification recipient refers to a person who is in a position to check the near-miss data recorded in the notification recipient list 252 and determine whether or not a response is necessary, and in this embodiment, this includes at least the site manager 130. Note that the timing when the notification information generation unit 223 notifies the notification recipient is assumed to be immediately after the risk determination unit 222 determines the risk level for the near-miss data.

[0025] The feedback receiving program 212 has a feedback setting unit 231. The feedback receiving program 212 is executed when it receives a feedback from a notification target who has been notified of near-miss incident data. When the feedback receiving program 212 receives a feedback, the feedback setting unit 231 updates the feedback history 256 based on the content of the feedback.

[0026] The near-miss data presentation program 213 has a risk level update unit 241, a near-miss data extraction unit 242, and a screen display unit 243. The near-miss data presentation program 213 is executed when the site manager 130 accesses the risk assessment device 100 from a management terminal via the public line 101 and views the accumulated near-miss data. When the site manager 130 accesses the risk assessment device 100, the near-miss data presentation program 213 starts the risk level update unit 241 to ensure that the information is up to date. 41 updates the risk level for the near-miss data in each near-miss data table 254 according to the current situation of the feedback history 256. Thereafter, the near-miss data extraction unit 242 extracts risk level data to be displayed from the contents of the near-miss data in the near-miss data table 254. Then, the screen display unit 243 generates and presents a screen showing the extracted information based on the operation of the site manager 130. The site manager 130 can set a priority for the near-miss event by referring to the near-miss data and risk level displayed on the presented screen.

[0027] To summarize the functions of the risk assessment device 100 in this embodiment, it has a near-miss data table 254 that stores near-miss data received from heavy equipment (construction machinery) 110, a feedback accumulation unit 256 that records feedback on near-miss events that have occurred in the past, a risk assessment unit 222 that, when data related to a near-miss event is received from construction machinery, determines the risk level of the near-miss event by referring to the near-miss data table 254 and the feedback accumulation unit 256, and a notification information generation unit 223 that generates notification information containing information related to the risk level and is used to notify the manager 130 of the site where the heavy equipment (construction machinery) 110 is being used.

[0028] 2B, the heavy equipment 110 includes a controller 261, an approach detection device 262, a tilt detection device 263, a warning device 264, a data recording device 265, and a communication device 266. These devices are connected to each other via an in-vehicle network 267.

[0029] The controller 261 is a controller for controlling the heavy equipment 110, and when it detects that the heavy equipment 110 and the worker 120 are approaching each other, it may reduce the power of the heavy equipment 110 or inhibit starting.

[0030] The approach detection device 262 is a device installed on the heavy equipment 110, and is a device that can detect the approach of a worker 120 when the worker approaches the periphery of the heavy equipment 110. The approach detection device 262 may be a camera, a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), or an RFID tag detection device in the case where the worker carries an RFID tag.

[0031] The tilt detection device 263 is a device installed in the heavy equipment 110, and is a device that can measure the tilt of the heavy equipment 110 and detect when the tilt has reached a point where there is a risk of the heavy equipment 110 tipping over. The tilt detection device 263 may be a device such as an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit).

[0032] Similarly, the warning device 264 is a device installed on the heavy equipment 110, and is a device that warns the operator of the heavy equipment 110 and the approaching worker 120 of danger when the worker 120 approaches the heavy equipment 110, or warns the operator of the heavy equipment 110 of danger when the heavy equipment 110 is tilted in a way that could cause it to tip over. For example, a rotating light is an example. Note that below, the operator of the heavy equipment may be abbreviated to "Ope."

[0033] The data recording device 265 is a device for storing, for a certain period of time, operation history and video data for several seconds before and after detecting the approach of the worker 120 and the heavy machine 110. For example, a non-volatile memory or the like is assumed.

[0034] The communication device 266 periodically notifies the risk assessment device 100 of the near-miss data stored in the data recording device 265 via the public line 101 .

[0035] More specifically, the communication device 266 is an approach detection device 262 that detects the presence of the worker 120 in the heavy equipment 110. When the device detects approach or the tilt detector 263 detects the risk of tipping over of the heavy equipment 110, the warning device 264 issues a warning and instructs the controller 261 to reduce power, etc. At the same time, the data recording device 265 accumulates video data, operation history, etc., records them for a fixed period of time, and then transmits the data to the risk determination device 100.

[0036] An example of a screen showing the notification content sent by the risk assessment device 100 to a notification recipient such as the site manager 130 is shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 3A shows an example of a notification screen assuming a smartphone app or the like, and Fig. 3B shows an example of notification content assuming an email.

[0037] 3A, the risk determination device 100 presents the heavy equipment that caused the near-miss incident and the planned work details 302, the near-miss details 303, the risk trends 304 of similar near-miss incidents that have occurred in the past, the location 305 of the incident on the construction drawing, and photos / videos 306 taken before and after the incident, so that the person to be notified can easily determine whether or not a response to the near-miss incident is required. Note that the timing of this presentation is immediately after the risk determination unit 222 determines the risk level for the near-miss data, as described above.

[0038] For example, the person receiving the notification can easily determine whether the approach between the heavy equipment 110 and the worker 120 was planned from the beginning and does not require any particular action, or whether it is a situation that would not have occurred in the first place and requires confirmation and instructions. It also makes it easier to determine whether confirmation with the operator is necessary based on whether similar high-risk near misses are occurring frequently. Furthermore, as shown by reference numeral 307, a "Contact Operator" button or the like is set to communicate with the heavy equipment operator so that confirmation and instructions from the site manager 130 or the like can be smoothly transferred to the next action when confirmation and instructions from the site manager 130 or the like are required. Furthermore, as shown by reference numeral 308, a "No Action Required" button is set to explicitly record that no action from the site manager 130 or the like is required, making it easier to collect the FB results in the risk assessment device 100.

[0039] As shown in Figure 3B, when sending a notification by email, the same content as in Figure 3A should be included, and operations such as videos and images can be notified by setting links within the email.

[0040] An example of a screen that the risk assessment device 100 presents to the site manager 130 is shown in Figure 4. Figure 4(a) is an example of a screen showing statistical values ​​for the entire construction site 150, and Figure 4(b) is an example of a screen when presenting details of individual near-miss events. The screen shown in Figure 4 is presented by the near-miss data presentation program 213, for example, when the site manager 130 accesses the risk assessment device 100, as described above. It is also possible to include a link to this screen on the app display screen of Figure 3A or the email screen of Figure 3B so that all notification recipients can view it.

[0041] 4(a), the risk determination device 100 displays the locations where near-miss events have occurred on a screen 401 for on-site management. In particular, as statistical data, it is assumed that a heat map on a map is displayed after filtering according to the risk level organized by this embodiment.

[0042] 4(b), the risk assessment device 100 also displays the collected data of individual near-miss events, such as the location of the occurrence, video footage, and operation history, on the screen 402. It is also possible to sort the list using the risk levels organized by the method of the present invention.

[0043] 5A and 5B show examples of the data structure of each table managed by the risk assessment device 100. FIG. 5A shows an example of the data structure of the site management table 251, FIG. 5B shows an example of the data structure of the notification target list 252, FIG. 5C shows an example of the data structure of the near-miss data table 254, and FIG. 5D shows an example of the data structure of the feedback history 256. An example of the data structure is shown below.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 5A, the site management table 251 includes data related to a site ID 501, a site name 502, a construction period 503, a type of work 504, and a contractor 505. The site ID 501 is an identifier for uniquely identifying a site. The site name 502 indicates the name of the site to be presented when near-miss notifications or near-miss data are presented. The construction period 503 indicates the period of construction at the site. The construction drawings and construction plans 255 set the plan for this set period. The type of work 504 indicates the type of construction at the site. For example, the type of work is set as "road construction," "river construction," or "dam construction." The contractor 505 sets the company to which the manager of the site belongs.

[0045] As shown in Figure 5B, the notification target list 252 includes data related to a site ID 511, a notification target ID 512, a notification target 513, and a notification method 514. The site ID 511 sets the target site where a near-miss event occurs and for which notification should be sent to the set notification target. Multiple people may be set as notification targets at the same site, in which case multiple pieces of information for the same site ID are set. Figure 5B shows a case where three notification targets are set for the site ID "site #1".

[0046] The notification recipient ID 512 is an identifier for uniquely determining the notification recipient. The notification recipient 513 indicates the notification destination of the notification recipient. In the example of FIG. 5B, the notification recipient 513 includes the supervisor (site manager 130) and the so-called administrative manager. The notification destination is set according to the content of the notification method 514. For example, if a notification is to be sent to a smartphone app owned by the notification recipient, the ID of the notification recipient in the target app is set, and if the notification is to be sent to the notification recipient by email, the email address of the notification recipient is set.

[0047] A notification method for the notification recipient is set in notification method 514. The notification method can be set to "app" which indicates that the notification is to be sent to a smartphone app owned by the notification recipient, or "email" which indicates that the notification is to be sent to the notification recipient by email.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 5C , the near-miss data table 254 includes data regarding an ID 521 , a site ID 522 , an occurrence date and time 523 , an occurrence location 524 , a target machine 525 , a warning content 526 , a work content 527 , and a risk level 528 .

[0049] ID 521 is an identifier for uniquely identifying near-miss data, and this identifier can also be used to match data from video data and operation history 253. Site ID 522 is an identifier for uniquely identifying the site where the near-miss event occurred, and uses the value set in site management table 251. Occurrence date and time 523 indicates the date and time when the near-miss occurred, such as when the worker 120 came close to the heavy equipment 110 or when the inclination of the heavy equipment 110 exceeded a certain level, creating a risk of tipping over. Occurrence location 524 indicates the location where the worker 120 came close to the heavy equipment 110 or when the inclination of the heavy equipment 110 exceeded a certain level, creating a risk of tipping over. In FIG. 5C, the location is shown using latitude and longitude, for example, but the site map may be divided into multiple sections and the names of the sections may be displayed.

[0050] The target machine 525 indicates the heavy equipment 110 on which the near miss event occurred. A PIN number or other number that uniquely identifies the heavy equipment 110 is used. The warning content 526 indicates the warning content for the near miss event. For example, in the case of a near miss event when the approach of the worker 120 and the heavy equipment 110 is detected, a "proximity warning" is set, and in the case of a near miss event when the inclination of the heavy equipment 110 exceeds a certain level and there is a risk of tipping over, a "fall warning" is set.

[0051] The work content 527 indicates the work that was being carried out when the near miss event occurred. These are set in the construction drawings and construction plans 255. The work content that was planned for the heavy equipment at the relevant location at the time the near-miss event occurred is set. The risk level 528 indicates the risk level of the target near-miss event. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the risk level is determined as "high," "medium," or "low."

[0052] As shown in FIG. 5D, the FB history 256 includes data related to a site ID 531, a near-miss data ID 532, a notification destination ID 533, FB content 534, and elapsed time 535 until the FB. The site ID 531 is an identifier for uniquely identifying the site where the near-miss event occurred, and uses the value set in the site management table 251. The near-miss data ID 532 is an identifier for uniquely identifying the target near-miss event, and uses the value set in the near-miss data table 254.

[0053] The notification destination ID 533 is an identifier for uniquely determining the notification recipient who has been notified of the near-miss data as a prerequisite for the feedback for the near-miss data, and uses the value set in the notification recipient list 252.

[0054] The feedback content 534 records the response of the notification recipient (hereinafter referred to as the notification recipient) when the near-miss data is notified to the corresponding notification destination. As described above, the feedback history 256 is updated by the feedback setting unit 231. The feedback setting unit 231 sets, for example, a "notification unconfirmed" state in which a notification was sent but it is not confirmed that the notification recipient viewed the notification; a "notification confirmation: no response" state in which the notification recipient confirmed the notification but did not take any special action; a "notification confirmation: details confirmation" state in which the notification recipient confirmed the notification and checked the details of the video and history data in the system; or a "notification confirmation: operator contact" state in which the notification recipient confirmed the notification and contacted and instructed the heavy equipment operator. Regarding the feedback content 534, when provided via a smartphone app, the feedback content is understood from screen operations such as opening the screen or selecting to call the heavy equipment operator from the screen. When provided via email, the feedback content is understood from the operation of a link in the email. The elapsed time until feedback 535 sets the time from the notification of the near-miss data to the implementation of feedback.

[0055] Next, a description will be given of the processing executed by the risk determination device 100 in this embodiment. First, a method in which the risk level update unit 241 updates the risk level of the near-miss incident data table 254 from the feedback history 256 is shown in FIG.

[0056] The processing according to this embodiment starts when notification information is generated by the notification information generation unit 223 and the information is notified to the notification recipients. First, the risk level update unit 241 of the risk determination device 100 checks whether all notification recipients who received the notification have "not confirmed the notification" (601). If all recipients have not confirmed the notification, it is not possible to determine whether there is a risk, so the risk level is determined to be "unknown" for the near-miss data in the near-miss data table 254 (604). Near-miss data determined to have an "unknown" risk level may be treated in the same way as near-miss data determined to have a "medium" risk level. In this embodiment, an unknown risk level is treated as equivalent to a medium risk level.

[0057] If at least one of the notification recipients has confirmed the notification, it is checked whether at least one of them has "Confirm notification: Contact operator" (602). If there is at least one notification recipient who has confirmed the notification and contacted the operator, it means that confirmation by the operator is required and there may have been a serious risk, so the risk level is determined to be "high" (605). If there is not at least one notification recipient who has "Confirm notification: Contact operator", it is checked whether there is at least one notification recipient who has "Confirm notification: Check details" (603). If there is at least one notification recipient who has "Confirm notification: Check details", it was necessary to check the details, but it was not to the extent that instructions were given to the operator, so the risk level is determined to be "medium" (606). If there is no notification recipient who has "Confirm notification: Check details", If there is no notification recipient, the notification has been confirmed but no one has taken action, so it is not a major problem for the site, and the risk level is determined to be "low" (607).

[0058] As described above, the risk level update unit 241 determines the near-miss data included in the notification information as high risk if at least one feedback received from the notification information recipient is accumulated in the feedback history 256 and the at least one feedback includes feedback indicating that an action by the notification recipient (including the site manager) is required, determines the near-miss data included in the notification information as low risk if the feedback includes only feedback indicating that no action by the notification recipient is required, and determines the near-miss data included in the notification information as medium risk if no feedback is received or if the notification information includes only information indicating that the details of the notification information have been confirmed. Note that the response by the notification recipient here refers to a response taken to confirm the details of the near-miss event, such as contacting the operator of the heavy equipment by phone, and does not include simply checking the details of the notification.

[0059] Fig. 6A shows the process when the information generated by the notification information generation unit 223 is notified to the notification target, but there are also cases where the occurrence of a near miss is not detected and the site manager 130 voluntarily discovers a near miss event and determines the risk level, and the process in that case is shown in Fig. 6B. That is, in this case, no notification is made by the notification information generation unit 223, and voluntary feedback by the site manager 130 or the like (not limited to the notification target) is sent to the risk determination device 100.

[0060] This process is started when the site manager 130 voluntarily discovers a near-miss event without receiving a notification that a near-miss has occurred and contacts an operator. When the site manager 130 discovers a near-miss event, the site manager 130 also notifies the risk assessment device 100 of this fact, and the risk assessment device 100 accumulates the near-miss data received from the terminal of the site manager 130 in the near-miss data table 254.

[0061] The risk level update unit 241 of the risk determination device 100 determines whether or not an "Abnormality Confirmed: Operator Contact" FB has been received from the terminal of one or more site managers 130 (608). If it has been received, it is highly likely that some event has occurred that requires operator confirmation, so the risk level is determined to be "high." If it has not been received, it means that none of the site managers 130 have found any abnormalities, so the risk level is not determined.

[0062] As described above, if the risk level update unit 241 obtains information that the site manager 130 has contacted the construction machinery operator before the site manager's terminal receives the notification information, it determines that the near-miss data is high risk.

[0063] Regarding the risk management of near-miss data described above, it is preferable to manage it on a site-by-site basis because the criteria for determining risk levels differ for each site. That is, construction sites are divided into, for example, river construction, road construction, mining work, etc., and the criteria for determining the type and severity of near-miss events that may occur at each site are different, so it is preferable to change the risk management criteria depending on the construction content. Therefore, in the risk assessment device 100 of this embodiment, the near-miss data stored in the near-miss data table 254 includes a site ID 522, which is an identifier for uniquely identifying the site where the near-miss event occurred, and the risk level update unit 241 manages the risk of the near-miss data for each site by updating the risk level of the near-miss data stored in the near-miss data table 254 for each site defined by the site ID 522, which is the identifier.

[0064] 6C shows a method for estimating the risk level from the past near-miss incident history rather than determining the risk level based on the notification recipient's feedback when near-miss incident data is acquired. This process starts when the near-miss incident data accumulation unit 221 receives the near-miss incident data.

[0065] First, the risk determination unit 222 checks whether the near-miss data in the previously acquired near-miss data table 254 contains history of the same process, content, location, and time period as the newly acquired near-miss data table 254 (611). If there is no corresponding history, the risk determination unit 222 determines the risk level to be "unknown (equivalent to medium)" (614). If there is corresponding history, the unit 222 checks whether the number of target history cases is equal to or exceeds a threshold (612). If there are no cases equal to or exceeds the threshold, the risk level is determined to be "unknown (equivalent to medium)" (614).

[0066] If the number of history records is equal to or exceeds the threshold, it is checked whether there is a trend in the risk levels of the target history records. For example, when comparing the number of occurrences of risk levels "high," "medium," and "low," it is checked whether the number of occurrences of a specific risk level is more than twice as many as the other risk levels (613). For example, if the number of occurrences of risk level "high" is more than twice as many as the number of occurrences of risk levels "medium" and "low," the risk level is determined to be "high" for the newly obtained near-miss data in the near-miss data table 254 (615). If there is no corresponding risk level, it is determined to be "unknown" (614).

[0067] In other words, when acquiring near-miss data, the risk level is not determined based on the notification recipient's feedback, but is instead estimated from past near-miss history. In this embodiment, the risk assessment device 100 stores near-miss data in the near-miss data table 254, which includes a site ID 522, an identifier for uniquely identifying the site where the near-miss occurred. When the risk assessment unit 222 receives near-miss data from a construction machine, it references the near-miss data table 254 and determines the risk level of the near-miss for each site identified by the site ID 522, thereby managing the risk of the near-miss data for each site. While this embodiment estimates the risk level based on the process, content, location, and time period, it is also possible to estimate only the process, content, and location, or to impose further restrictions depending on the operation. Furthermore, while the method for simply checking the risk level trend based on the number of cases has been described, it is also possible to calculate the trend by weighting the most recent content depending on the time of occurrence.

[0068] 7 is a flowchart showing the processing executed by the near-miss data receiving program 211 when near-miss data is received. This processing is executed every time the risk assessment device 100 receives near-miss data from the heavy equipment 110. When the risk assessment device 100 receives near-miss data, the near-miss data accumulation unit 221 first stores the received video data and operation history and near-miss data in the video data and operation history 253 and near-miss data table 254 in the storage 205 (701). At this time, a common ID is assigned to each piece of data and stored so that related data can be extracted later.

[0069] Next, the risk assessment unit 222 checks the information on the construction drawings and construction plans 255, extracts the work details of the heavy equipment 110 at the time of the near miss from the current time, the location where the near miss was detected, the ID of the heavy equipment, etc., and updates the near miss data table 254 (702).

[0070] Next, the risk determination unit 222 estimates the risk level of the currently received near-miss data from the past near-miss data table 254 and the feedback history 256. A specific method of estimation is as shown in FIG.

[0071] Next, the notification information generating unit 223 selects the notification target at the relevant site from the notification target list 252. The system checks the recipient and notification method and generates the notification content. Once the notification content is generated, it is sent to the recipient and at the same time the fact that it has been notified is set in the feedback history 256. At this point, the feedback content 534 is set to "notified" (not yet supported). Once this setting is complete, the flow executed when near-miss data is received by the near-miss data receiving program 211 ends.

[0072] 8 shows a flowchart executed by the feedback receiving program 212 when receiving feedback from a notification recipient. If the notification recipient is using a smartphone app, the feedback is received as information about the application operation, and if the notification recipient is using email, the feedback is received as information about the email link operation. When this flow is executed, it proceeds to step 801.

[0073] In step 801, the feedback setting unit 231 checks the feedback content and updates the feedback content 534 and the elapsed time until feedback 535 for the feedback history 256 of the target near-miss event data and notification destination. The elapsed time until feedback 535 is set to the difference between the time the feedback was acquired and the time the near-miss event data was received. The feedback content 534 sets the behavior of the notification recipient. For example, if a smartphone app is being used, if it is detected that the notification has been confirmed on the smartphone app, "Notification confirmation: No action" is set; if the notification is confirmed and "No action required" is selected, "Notification confirmation: No action" is set; if the notification is confirmed and "Confirm with operator" is selected, or if a call is made with a heavy equipment operator, "Notification confirmation: Contact operator" is set; and if the notification is confirmed and detailed video data, etc. is confirmed, "Notification confirmation: Check details" is set. Note that whether to overwrite the feedback when it is acquired is determined based on the settings of the existing feedback content. The priority order for whether to overwrite is as follows: "Notification not confirmed" < "Notification confirmation: No action" < "Notification confirmation: Check details" < "Notification confirmation: Contact operator." When this setting is completed, the flow executed by the feedback receiving program 212 when obtaining the feedback ends.

[0074] 9 is a flowchart showing the processing executed by the near-miss data presentation program 213 when a near-miss data viewing request is received from the site manager 130. This flow is executed when the risk assessment device 100 receives an operation for viewing near-miss data from the terminal of the site manager 130.

[0075] First, the risk level update unit 241 updates (901) the risk level of each near-miss incident data table 254 based on the FB history 256. The method for updating the risk level is as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B.

[0076] Next, the near-miss data extraction unit 242 extracts near-miss data within the same target site by referring to the risk level 528 in the near-miss data table 254 for the target risk level that the site manager 130 wishes to display (902).

[0077] Next, the screen display unit 243 acquires corresponding data from the video data / operation history 253 using the ID of the relevant near-miss data, generates a screen as explained using Fig. 4, and presents it on the screen (903). When this process is completed, the flow executed by the near-miss data presentation program 213 ends.

[0078] As described above, according to this embodiment, the risk level of near-miss events such as approaching heavy machinery and people is determined based on the site manager and feedback within the same site, so priorities can be set according to response standards that differ for each site, and the site supervisor can prioritize countermeasures and safety education, making it possible to implement effective safety improvements at the site.

[0079] Although the risk assessment device 100 has been described above as this embodiment, the risk assessment system may be configured by combining the risk assessment device 100 with a terminal owned by the site manager 130. It can be made to function as it is.

[0080] [Example 2] A second embodiment of the present invention will now be described. In the first embodiment described above, feedback after a near-miss occurred was only available from notification recipients set in the notification recipient list 252 (including feedback after near-miss data notification and voluntary feedback from the site manager), but in this embodiment, feedback from heavy equipment operators can also be received. The basic content of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and only the differences will be described.

[0081] FIG. 10A shows the hardware configuration and software configuration of the risk assessment device 100 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 10B shows the hardware configuration of the heavy equipment 110.

[0082] The risk assessment device 100 according to this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it further includes a heavy machine feedback receiving program 1001 on the memory 204 in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment.

[0083] As in the embodiment, the storage 205 stores a site management table 251, a notification target list 252, video data and operation history 253, a near-miss data table 254, construction drawings and construction plans 255, and feedback history 256. Only the feedback history 256 has a different configuration from the first embodiment so that feedback from the operator of the heavy equipment 110 can also be stored.

[0084] The near-miss data receiving program 211 and the feedback receiving program 212 are the same as those in Example 1. The near-miss data presentation program 213 is also basically the same as that in Example 1, but operates differently because the risk level update unit 241 updates the risk level including the feedback received from the operator of the heavy equipment 110.

[0085] The heavy equipment feedback receiving program 1001 has a heavy equipment feedback setting unit 1002. The heavy equipment feedback receiving program 1001 is executed when a feedback is received from the operator of the heavy equipment 110 that transmitted the near-miss data. When a feedback is received from the operator of the heavy equipment 110, the heavy equipment feedback setting unit 1002 updates the feedback history 256 based on the feedback content.

[0086] As shown in Figure 10B, the heavy equipment 110, like the first embodiment, has a control controller 261, an approach detection device 262, an inclination detection device 263, an alarm device 264, a data recording device 265, and a communication device 266, and also has an operation FB acquisition device 1101, and these devices are connected by an in-vehicle network 267.

[0087] The operation is the same as in the first embodiment except for the operator feedback acquisition device 1101. The operator feedback acquisition device 1101 acquires the operator's actions after the heavy equipment 110 detects the approach of the worker 120 or after detecting a steep incline, and transmits the data to the risk assessment device 100. An example of the operator's actions is the time it takes to release the lock and resume work.

[0088] 11 shows an example of the data structure of the feedback history 256 in this embodiment. The feedback history 256 includes a site ID 531, a near-miss data ID 532, a notification destination ID 533, feedback content 534, and elapsed time until feedback 535, and the data structure is the same as in the first embodiment. Meanwhile, the data to be set includes feedback from the operator of the heavy equipment 110 in addition to the data in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the feedback from the operator of the heavy equipment 110 is set as the notification destination ID 533 "0". Furthermore, as the feedback content 534, for example, "Operator operation: unlock / resume", which indicates that work has resumed, is set.

[0089] 12 shows a method for determining the risk level of near-miss incident data from the feedback history including feedback from the operator of the heavy equipment 110, which is executed by the risk determination unit 222. In this case, the risk level based on the feedback content from the notified person and the risk level based on the feedback content from the heavy equipment 110 are calculated separately, and the two risk levels are compared to determine a single risk level.

[0090] The risk level estimation using the feedback content from the notification recipient is the same process as in FIG. 6A, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0091] 12A shows the processing executed when determining the risk level based on the feedback content from the operator of the heavy equipment 110. First, the risk determination unit 222 checks from the elapsed time until FB 535 whether the time from the warning to the operator of the heavy equipment 110 or the stoppage of work due to the occurrence of a near miss to the resumption of work was shorter than the minimum time required in advance for safety confirmation (1201). In other words, if the minimum time required to confirm the safety of the heavy equipment and its surroundings when a near miss event occurs is 15 minutes, it checks whether the elapsed time until FB is shorter than this 15 minutes. If the elapsed time until FB is shorter than the minimum time required, it is considered that the situation did not require safety confirmation, and the risk level is determined to be "low" (1203). The reason why the elapsed time to FB 535 is used as the time from the warning to the operator of the heavy equipment 110 or the stoppage of work to the resumption of work is that the elapsed time to FB 535 refers to the time elapsed from the occurrence of the near miss event to the FB, and when the near miss event occurs, the heavy equipment 110 issues a warning to the operator and the work is stopped, and it is thought that the work will be resumed immediately after the FB is sent.

[0092] If the time until work resumes is longer than the minimum required time, the system checks from the elapsed time until FB 535 whether the time until work resumes is longer than the maximum required time preset as a safety check (1202). If the time is longer than the maximum required time, it is assumed that the heavy machinery work was stopped at the timing of the near miss detection, and it is not possible to determine whether there is a risk, so the risk level is determined to be "unknown (equivalent to medium)" (1204). If the time is shorter than the maximum required time, it is assumed that the worker sensed a risk and resumed work after checking safety, so the risk level is determined to be "high" (1205).

[0093] After determining the risk levels based on the feedback from the notification recipient and the heavy equipment operator as described above, they are determined as a single risk level according to the table 1210 shown in FIG. 12B. Specifically, if the risk level is other than "unknown," the higher of the two risk levels is determined, and if either risk level is "unknown," the other risk level that is not "unknown" is determined. For example, if the risk level of the feedback from the notification recipient is "high" and the risk level of the feedback from the heavy equipment is "low," the final risk level is determined to be "high." Also, if the risk level of the feedback from the notification recipient is "unknown" and the risk level of the feedback from the heavy equipment is "low," the final risk level is determined to be "low."

[0094] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to determine the risk level using feedback from heavy equipment other than the person to be notified, thereby improving the accuracy of the risk level determination. Also, in the method for determining the risk level of near-miss data from feedback history, including feedback from the operator of the heavy equipment 110, in the risk determination device 100 of this embodiment, the near-miss data stored in the near-miss data table 254 includes a site ID 522, which is an identifier for uniquely identifying the site where the near-miss event occurred, and when the risk determination unit 222 receives data related to the near-miss event from the construction machine, it refers to the feedback history 256 and determines the risk level of the near-miss event for each site identified by the site ID 522, which is the identifier, thereby managing the risk of the near-miss data for each site.

[0095] [Example 3] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, notification after the occurrence of a near miss was only given to people set in the notification target list 252, but in this embodiment, notification is also given to the target heavy machinery according to the estimated risk level, which is different from the first embodiment. According to this embodiment, it is possible to expect effects such as being able to make the sensing data more detailed according to the risk level. The basic content of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the differences will be mainly described.

[0096] FIG. 13A shows the hardware and software configuration of the risk assessment device 100 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 13B shows the hardware configuration of the heavy equipment 110 used in this embodiment.

[0097] The risk assessment device 100 in this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the near-miss data receiving program 211 further includes a heavy machine notification unit 1301. In this embodiment, after the information generated by the notification information generation unit 223 is notified to the target person set in the notification target list 252, the heavy machine notification unit 1301 transmits the information to the target heavy machine and notifies the target machine such as enabling detailed sensing to be performed according to the estimated risk level.

[0098] As shown in FIG. 13B, the heavy equipment 110 has a control controller 261, an approach detection device 262, an inclination detection device 263, an alarm device 264, a data recording device 265, and a communication device 266, as in the first embodiment, and also has an on-board sensor control device 1302, and these devices are connected by an on-board network 267.

[0099] In this embodiment, the devices other than the on-board sensor control device 1302 operate in the same manner as in the embodiment. When the on-board sensor control device 1302 receives a notification from the heavy machinery notification unit of the risk assessment device 100, it increases the sampling rate for data storage and records operation history and sensor data that are not normally recorded so that more detailed sensing data can be obtained.

[0100] 14 shows a flowchart for receiving near-miss data, which is executed by the near-miss data receiving program 211. This flow is executed every time the risk assessment device 100 receives near-miss data from the heavy equipment 110. Steps 701 to 704 of this flow are the same as those in FIG. 7, and their explanation will be omitted.

[0101] In this embodiment, after step 704, if the risk level is "high" or "medium," the heavy machinery notification unit 1301 sends a notification to the heavy machinery that sent the near-miss data to request sensing of detailed data (1401). Examples of detailed data include increasing the sampling rate of the data to be saved, recording operation history and sensor data that are not normally recorded, and focusing the camera on the area where an approaching person is detected. Once this setting is complete, the flow executed by the near-miss data receiving program 211 ends.

[0102] According to the present embodiment, when a near miss occurs with a risk level above a predetermined level, it becomes possible to obtain more detailed data regarding the heavy equipment that caused the near miss, thereby improving the accuracy of the analysis of the cause of the near miss.

[0103] The above-described embodiment of the present invention provides the following advantageous effects.

[0104] (1) The risk assessment device according to the present invention includes a near-miss data table that stores near-miss data including information on near-miss events that have occurred due to the construction machine approaching an object and that are received from the construction machine, a feedback storage unit that records feedback on near-miss events that have occurred in the past, and, upon receiving data on near-miss events from the construction machine, refers to the near-miss data table and the feedback storage unit to determine the near-miss event. The system has a risk determination unit that determines the risk level, and a notification information generation unit that generates notification information containing information about the risk level and that is used to notify at least the manager of the site where the construction machine is being used.

[0105] With the above configuration, risk levels are determined for near-miss events such as close contact between heavy machinery and people based on the site manager and feedback from within the same site, making it possible to determine risk levels according to different response standards for each site. This allows priorities to be set according to risk levels, enabling site supervisors to prioritize countermeasures and safety education, enabling effective safety improvements at the site.

[0106] (2) The system further includes a risk level update unit that updates the risk level of the near-miss data stored in the near-miss data table, and when at least one piece of feedback received from a recipient of the notification information is stored in the feedback storage unit and the at least one piece of feedback includes feedback indicating that an action by an administrator is required, the risk level update unit determines the near-miss data included in the notification information to be high risk, when the at least one piece of feedback includes only feedback indicating that an action by an administrator is not required, the risk level update unit determines the near-miss data included in the notification information to be low risk, and when no feedback is received or when the notification information includes only information indicating that the details of the notification information have been confirmed, the risk level update unit determines the near-miss data included in the notification information to be medium risk. By determining the near-miss data to be high risk, especially when an action by an administrator is required, the feedback from the administrator can be used appropriately for risk assessment and priority setting.

[0107] (3) If the risk level update unit acquires information that the administrator has contacted the construction machinery operator before receiving the notification information, it will determine that the near-miss data is high risk. In such cases, although the occurrence of a near-miss has not been detected, there is a high possibility that some kind of abnormality has occurred, and it is possible to issue a warning by automatically determining that the risk is high.

[0108] (4) The near-miss data stored in the near-miss data table includes an identifier for uniquely identifying the site where the near-miss event occurred, and when the risk assessment unit receives data related to the near-miss event from the construction machinery, it assesses the risk level of the near-miss event for each site identified by the identifier, thereby managing the risk of the near-miss data for each site. Because the criteria for the occurrence of near-misses differ for each site, it is preferable to also manage the risk for each site.

[0109] (5) The feedback storage unit contains feedback information from managers and construction machinery operators. By receiving feedback directly from operators, it becomes possible to analyze the risk level of near misses in more detail.

[0110] (6) A heavy equipment notification unit is further provided to notify the construction machinery of notification information. As a result, when a near miss occurs at a risk level above a predetermined height, the operator of the construction machinery who receives the notification can obtain more detailed data about the heavy equipment that caused the near miss, improving the accuracy of the analysis of the cause of the near miss.

[0111] (7) The present invention can also function as a risk assessment system that combines the risk assessment device of (1) with a terminal owned by an administrator.

[0112] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to embodiments that include all of the configurations described. In addition, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, or to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment, or to delete part of the configuration of each embodiment, or to add or replace other configurations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0113] 100 Risk assessment device (near miss management system), 110 Heavy machinery (construction machinery), 130 Site manager (manager), 222 Risk assessment unit, 223 Notification information generation unit, 241 Risk level update unit, 254 Near miss data table, 256 FB history (feedback accumulation section), 1301 Heavy equipment notification department

Claims

1. A risk assessment device that assesses the risk of near-miss events that occur when using construction machinery, a near-miss data table that stores near-miss data including information on the near-miss event that occurred due to the construction machine approaching an object and that is received from the construction machine; a feedback storage unit that records feedback on the near-miss events that have occurred in the past; a risk determination unit that, upon receiving data relating to the near-miss event from the construction machine, determines a risk level of the near-miss event by referring to the near-miss data table and the feedback storage unit; a notification information generating unit that generates notification information including information about the risk level, for notifying at least a manager of a site where the construction machine is used, A risk assessment device characterized by:

2. The risk assessment device according to claim 1, The system further includes a risk level update unit that updates the risk level of the near-miss data stored in the near-miss data table, and when at least one feedback received from a recipient of the notification information is stored in the feedback storage unit and the at least one feedback includes feedback that an action by an administrator is required, the risk level update unit determines the near-miss data included in the notification information to be high risk, when the at least one feedback includes only feedback that an action by the administrator is not required, the risk level update unit determines the near-miss data included in the notification information to be low risk, and when the feedback is not received or when the notification information includes only information that the details of the notification information have been confirmed, the risk level update unit determines the near-miss data included in the notification information to be medium risk. A risk assessment device characterized by:

3. The risk determination device according to claim 2, The risk level update unit determines the near-miss data as high risk when it acquires information that the manager contacted the operator of the construction machine before receiving the notification information. A risk assessment device characterized by:

4. The risk assessment device according to claim 1, The near-miss data stored in the near-miss data table includes an identifier for uniquely identifying the site where the near-miss event occurred, When the risk determination unit receives data regarding the near-miss event from the construction machine, the risk determination unit determines the risk level of the near-miss event for each of the work sites defined by the identifier, thereby managing the risk of the near-miss data for each of the work sites. A risk assessment device characterized by:

5. The risk assessment device according to claim 1, The feedback storage unit includes feedback information from the manager and the operator of the construction machine. A risk assessment device characterized by:

6. The risk assessment device according to claim 1, Further, a heavy machine notification unit is provided that notifies the construction machine of the notification information. A risk assessment device characterized by:

7. a risk determination device that determines the risk of a near-miss event occurring in a construction machine due to proximity between the construction machine and an object; A risk assessment device comprising: a management terminal owned by a manager of the construction machine; The risk assessment device a near-miss data table that stores the near-miss data received from the construction machine; a feedback storage unit that records feedback on the near-miss events that have occurred in the past; a risk determination unit that, upon receiving data regarding the near-miss event from the construction machine, determines a risk level of the near-miss event by referring to the near-miss data table and the feedback storage unit; a notification information generating unit that generates notification information including information about the risk level and that is to be used to notify a manager of a site where the construction machine is being used. A risk assessment system characterized by:

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