Comparative Analysis of UWB and IMU for Construction Safety Monitoring

Abstract: Construction safety relies on effective monitoring, yet traditional methods lack real-time coverage. This study compares Ultra-Wideband (UWB) location-based tracking against Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) gait-based activity recognition. Experiments were conducted in a controlled environment simulating construction hazards (walking on planks, scaffolding, and mezzanines). Results indicate a trade-off: IMU classifiers effectively detect kinematic changes (81.6% accuracy) but fail in spatial awareness, whereas UWB successfully identifies elevation zones (92.3% accuracy) but suffers from vertical signal noise. The study concludes that neither technology is sufficient as a standalone solution.