Accurate Collection and Reporting of Worker Presence in Work Zones [Summary]

Details

• Creators:
  Qing, Zhu ; Adu-Gyamfi, Yaw ; Edara, Praveen ; Sun, Carlos ; Brown, Henry ; Baek, Ho Jun ; Amo-Boateng, Mark
• Corporate Creators:
  University of Missouri--Columbia. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Contributors:
  Breeding, Scott
• Corporate Contributors:
  Missouri. Department of Transportation. Construction and Materials Division ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Construction Construction And Maintenance Construction And Maintenance Personnel Data Collection Location Occupational Safety Road Construction Work Zone Safety
• Resource Type:
  Brief
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Edition:
  Research Summary
• Corporate Publisher:
  Missouri. Department of Transportation. Construction and Materials Division
• Abstract:
  Highway work zones remain high-risk environments due to the close interaction between workers, live traffic, and heavy equipment. While platforms like the Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and DOT traveler information maps provide location and traffic impact data, real-time, verified information regarding actual worker presence is often unavailable. This data gap limits the effectiveness of smart work zone deployments and emerging connected vehicle applications. This study evaluated device-based location technologies for highway work zone applications by comparing Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) approaches. Results indicated that BLE devices relying on crowdsourced networks produced inconsistent reporting and large location errors, particularly in rural areas, while GNSS devices provided more stable and temporally consistent data but involved tradeoffs related to cost, battery life, and data accessibility. To address these limitations, the research developed the WZ-Gateway Node, an open-source prototype that utilizes shared communication to reduce recurring costs. Complementing the hardware, the MU Worker Presence Platform was developed to process device-level data into validated worker presence attributes. By applying spatial buffering and activity classification logic, the platform filters false positive s and protects worker privacy while accurately associating field activity with work zone characteristics. Field evaluations confirmed the platform’s ability to generate WZDx-compliant feeds with real-time, verified worker presence information. These findings offer a practical roadmap for Missouri DOT and other transportation agencies to enhance traveler safety, smart work zone operations, and connected vehicle applications by basing worker presence alerts on actual field conditions.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  TR202515
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3c86083017983375913c3b7c2f16bf29231e4fc66efa21573cacf83f2d85f7cfe13336959f3cb83f0f51aaf86607b28f6f69e4e504af5e9545bed94de38891c7
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/89392/dot_89392_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 422.64 KB ]