Innovative solutions in occupational safety on construction sites

The Department of Civil Engineering reports that, as part of the Science Decade, a scientific seminar was held on April 4 in an online format via Microsoft Teams.

The event was dedicated to the topical issue: “Automated Worker Safety Monitoring System on Construction Sites Using Drones.”

The presentation was delivered by Abdulla Rakhmetovich Omarov, who shared the results of research carried out under the scientific project AP26198207 “Integrated security system on construction sites using drones for facial recognition, personal protective equipment inspection, and alcohol level monitoring”.

This project is being implemented as part of the grant competition for scientific and/or scientific-technical projects for 2025–2027, conducted by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The seminar was moderated by Natalya Valentinovna Ryvkina, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Civil Engineering, who opened the event, highlighted its relevance, and emphasized the importance of implementing digital technologies to enhance occupational safety on construction sites.

The seminar was attended by scientists, lecturers, doctoral (Ph.D. Students) and master’s Students from the L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, as well as representatives from Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda University and Shakarim University.

The participants showed great interest in the topic, which was reflected in a substantive discussion and active engagement with the presented report.

During the presentation, the key components of the developed system were examined in detail. In particular, the architecture of the integrated platform was presented, which includes the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) for real-time monitoring of construction sites. The drones, equipped with high-resolution cameras, collect video data, which is subsequently processed using computer vision and artificial intelligence algorithms.

Particular attention was given to the following functional capabilities of the system:

• Automatic identification of workers using facial recognition and QR code technologies;
• Monitoring the presence and proper use of personal protective equipment (helmets, vests, safety glasses);
• Monitoring workers’ condition, including the detection of potential signs of alcohol intoxication;
• Recording and documenting safety violations with subsequent transmission of the data to the construction management system.

The presenter also demonstrated examples of visual data obtained during pilot tests, including scenarios for detecting safety violations during working at heights and earthwork operations. Preliminary results were presented, confirming the high effectiveness of the proposed approach in reducing occupational accidents.

During the discussion, participants raised several questions regarding the accuracy of the recognition algorithms, the system’s robustness to external conditions (lighting, weather factors), as well as the legal and ethical aspects of using biometric identification technologies on construction sites.

At the conclusion of the seminar, the high scientific and practical significance of the project was noted, as well as its potential for wide implementation in the construction industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Participants expressed interest in further developing collaboration and conducting joint research in the areas of digitalization and occupational safety enhancement.

The Department of Civil Engineering expresses its gratitude to all participants for their active engagement, substantive questions, and interest in the development of modern scientific directions.