| Title |
A Study on the Prioritization of Smart Technology Applications for Safety Management in Modular Apartment Construction |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5659/JAIK.2026.42.8.385 |
| Keywords |
Modular Apartment Construction; Smart Safety Technologies; Construction Safety Management; Technology Prioritization; Phase-Based Risk Management; Expert Survey |
| Abstract |
Modular construction has recently gained attention as an effective construction method to improve productivity and reduce construction time
in the housing sector. However, modular apartment construction involves unique safety risks due to the transportation, lifting, and installation
of large prefabricated modules. In parallel, various smart construction safety technologies such as IoT sensing, AI vision, worker tracking,
BIM/Digital Twin, and drone monitoring have been introduced to improve construction safety. Despite the increasing availability of such
technologies, practical guidelines regarding which technologies should be prioritized for different construction phases remain insufficient. This
study aims to identify the priorities of smart technology applications for safety management in modular apartment construction through an
expert survey. First, major safety risks associated with modular construction phases were identified through a literature review. Subsequently,
a questionnaire survey was conducted with construction professionals including contractors, construction managers, and safety managers. A
total of 48 valid responses were collected and analyzed using an importance index and the Friedman test. The results indicate that AI vision
shows the highest overall importance, followed by worker tracking. Phase-specific analysis reveals that IoT sensing is particularly important in
the transportation phase, while AI vision and worker tracking are highly prioritized in the lifting phase. In the installation phase, AI vision,
worker tracking, and drone monitoring show relatively high importance. These findings suggest that smart safety technologies may be more
effectively applied through a phase-based and selective integration strategy rather than through a uniform implementation approach. This study
provides practical insights for the adoption and integration of smart safety technologies in modular apartment construction and contributes to
the development of phase-based smart safety management strategies |