Construction Equipment Maintenance Supervision: An i-Core and Blockchain-Enabled Conceptual Framework

Accidents due to the use of construction equipment are one of the leading causes of serious injuries in the construction industry. The supervision of construction equipment is an essential procedure to ensure the safety of users in the usage stage by requiring appropriate and timely maintenance. However, the following two issues must be tackled to secure its effeteness. Firstly, the execution of maintenance must be guaranteed, especially under a tight construction schedule. Secondly, the immutability, transparency, and traceability of the maintenance information must be enhanced. This research aims to develop an i-Core and blockchain-enabled framework for assuring the effectiveness of supervision of construction equipment maintenance (ESCEM). First, a literature review was conducted to identify ESCEM challenges and i-Core and blockchain potentials. Then, an i-Core and blockchain-enabled conceptual framework was provided. Finally, a prototype system was developed based on a case study to instantiate and test the proposed framework. As a result, it is found that i-Core can protect the effectiveness of ESCEM by automatically notifying construction stakeholders of when equipment maintenance is due, ensuring timely maintenance. Besides, blockchain allows construction stakeholders to submit, share, endorse, and store the maintenance transactions of construction equipment in a decentralized, transparent, immutable, and traceable manner. This study offers a novel solution for construction equipment safety management to construction researchers and practitioners, inspiring more discussions about blockchain applications in the construction industry.