DESIGN AND SIMULATION OF A MULTILINGUAL SAFETY SYSTEM FOR VEHICLES ON CONSTRUCTION SITES

The construction industry, crucial for global economic and infrastructure development, is known for its hazardous nature and high accident rates. Despite advancements in safety practices, construction site vehicle collisions remain a significant concern, exacerbated by limitations in current manual control systems which often suffer from human error, poor visibility, and inadequate safety protocols. This study proposes a multilingual voice-based warning system designed to enhance safety by addressing these limitations. By leveraging on the increasing adoption of voice-based technologies and the substantial growth in digital voice assistant use, the system aims to improve situational awareness and responsiveness through voice alerts in multiple languages, including Yoruba. The system integrates ultrasonic sensors for real-time obstacle detection with a voice alert module that provides warnings in different languages. The design also includes automatic vehicle speed reduction and stopping mechanisms based on obstacle proximity. Simulation results show that the sensing duration of the system is directly proportional to the distance of the obstacle. These demonstrate the system’s effectiveness in varying distance scenarios, highlighting its potential to significantly reduce construction site accidents. Future work will involve prototype development and further optimization of the vehicle stopping distance. This multilingual voice-based safety solution is anticipated to enhance construction site safety, addressing current system shortcomings and promoting universal comprehension among diverse worker populations.