The applications of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in building design and construction planning
are growing rapidly. BIM-based modeling and 4D simulation (3D and schedule) has brought many
benefits to safety and logistics applications as well. However, only limited automation in modeling
and planning safety processes has been exploited so far. The objective of this study is to investigate
how potential fall hazards that are unknowingly built into the construction schedule can be identified
and eliminated early in the planning phase of a construction project. A survey of research on construction
safety and BIM is presented first. Then, a framework was developed that includes automated safety rulechecking
algorithms for BIM. The developed prototype was tested using models including an office and a
residential building project in Finland. The first case study highlights the comparison of manual vs. automated
safety modeling of fall protective systems. It also describes the details to multiple design and asbuilt
scenarios where protective safety equipment is modeled. The second case study presents results of
applying the framework to the project schedule. It specifically simulates fall hazard detection and prevention.
The contribution of this work is an automated rule-checking framework that integrates safety
into BIM effectively and provides practitioners with a method for detecting and preventing fall-related
hazards. Presented are also discussions of open issues regarding commercialization of the developed prototype
and considerations which explore what impact it might have on resolving safety issues in the field
by extending traditional safety management practices.