Lab & Equipment
September 12th, 2026
Construction Safety Research Lab
The Knife River/Everus Construction Safety Lab supports immersive, hands-on safety and health research at Oregon State University.
Knife River/Everus Construction Safety Lab
Construction safety research is conducted both in on-campus laboratories and on construction sites.
- New! The Knife River/Everus Construction Safety Lab contains a 3D motion capture system (20′ x 20′ x 14′) and three motion-base Caterpillar equipment simulators for a dozer, excavator, and backhoe/loader. Supporting these systems are fully immersive virtual reality (VR) headsets and biometric instrumentation that includes eye-tracking, galvanic skin response, and electromyogram monitors. Contact John Gambatese for a tour of the new lab.
- Given the complex, large-scale, and unique nature of construction projects, safety research is conducted on on-going construction sites and in AEC offices throughout Oregon and the Pacific Northwest to monitor and record work practices, worksite conditions, and worker behavior in real-world settings.
- For work zone safety research, actual work zones and the driving and bicycling simulator lab provide interactive field and simulated environments.
- For research related to temporary and permanent structures, the structural engineering research lab and wood engineering laboratory are available.
Construction Engineering Research Lab
Multiple labs across the OSU campus provide the opportunity to conduct high-level and full-scale construction engineering research related to structures and materials. Civil and Construction Engineering and Wood Science and Engineering have multiple structures and materials labs available for use. Additionally, construction sites throughout Oregon and the Pacific Northwest are used to study construction operations, temporary structures, and construction materials in use.
Field Data Collection Resources
In addition to the equipment available in the labs, our research capabilities are supported by a wide variety of equipment for field research. The equipment is selected to allow for the collection and analysis of multiple types of data associated with construction research.
Environmental surroundings sensors
- Extech EA 30 wide range light meter (2)
- Extech HD 600 sound meter
- BAFX Products – Decibel Meter, 30-130 dBA range
- Etymotic dosimeters (2)
- Sensorcon carbon monoxide sensor
- VLike MS6508 Digital temperature/humidity meter
- Temtop M2000 2nd Generation Multi-functional Air Quality Detector (2)
Biometric sensing and eye-tracking
- Shimmer3 GSR+ (galvanic skin response and photoplethysmogram signals) (2)
- Shimmer3 ECG Unit
- Tobii Pro glasses 3
- Mobile Eye-XG
Drones
- DJI Matrice 300 RTK with Zenmuse P1 Camera payload
- DJI Mavic 2 Pro
Smart work zone devices
- Ver-Mac Pro Series 25 Light Solar Powered Smart Arrow Board Trailer
- Work zone location marker – GREEN/START marker
- Work zone location marker – RED/END marker
Location sensors
- Columbus P-1 Professional GPS Data Loggers (3)
- Garmin eTrex 20x handheld GPS units (2)
Speed sensors
- NC-350 BlueStar Traffic Analyzers (4) and NC-200 Portable Traffic Analyzers (13), manufactured by MH Corbin/Vaisala
- Bushnell Velocity Radar Speed Gun
Laser scanners
- Topcon IP-S2 mobile laser scanner and truck
- Leica P50 terrestrial laser scanner
Virtual Reality
- Oculus Quest Headsets
- HTC Vive Pro
Cameras
- Zenmuse P1 with 35mm lens for DJI Matrice
- Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V 18.2 MP camera
- Nikon Z50 DSLR camera
- Nikon D5200 DSLR camera
- Sony HDR-CX190 video camera
Personal protective equipment
- Researcher personal protective equipment (PPE) and apparel for construction work zones and jobsites
- Illumagear Halo Lights (3), HLPC-03A
Other
- Laser distance meter, and measuring wheels
- Tascam DR-05 portable digital audio recorder
- Laptop computers along with requisite hardware and software
- Generac CP3250 portable generator
- Raven GEN6500E portable generator
- Turning Technologies Response Card RF clickers (18)
Example Equipment
