BIM for Health and Safety, It’s a No-Brainer

Too many people are killed and injured in our industry each year, despite the best efforts of all parties concerned. While many are utilizing Building Information Modeling (BIM) for efficiency gains and improved profit margins, perhaps fewer are considering health and safety. Even in times of economic downturn, construction is still one of the largest industry sectors. It is also one of the most dangerous and hazardous, and, despite the rate of injuries over the last 20 years being significantly reduced, construction remains a high-risk industry in which to work. Although it is not new, BIM has seen a huge uptake in interest in recent years. This is partly as a result of government mandates, but mainly due to great leaps in technology. The incorporation of health and safety into BIM is neither something which is the exclusive preserve of the “technology generation,” nor is it something which is beyond designers. It is, as modern parlance would have it, a no-brainer.