At Balfour Beatty projects around the globe, subcontractors receive regular safety training with examples of the right way to perform tasks on a jobsite. Now, thanks to building information modeling (BIM), Balfour Beatty is teaching others what the wrong way to work looks like—and the consequences.
"Learning how to do something safely gives you only one side of the story," explains Chris Manzione, technology specialist, who has created several safety models using BIM. "BIM models allow us to take safety training a step further. We can compare safe and unsafe practices side-by-side, which gives trainees a better understanding of the activities—without exposing them to danger on a real site."
And the safety applications for BIM are as varied as the activities on any project. "The more complex the task, the more powerful the effect BIM models can have," says Charlie Bird, loss prevention director. "So far, we've used these models to explain safer methods for site excavations, trenching, benching, and access, but the applications are nearly endless."
To learn about how Balfour Beatty Construction is using BIM for safety training, download "BIM for Zero Harm."
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