YOLOv8- Based Helmet and Vest Detection System for Safety Assessment

Helmet and vest detection systems ensure worker safety in high-risk professions like construction, mining, and law enforcement. The latest version of the You Only Look Once (YOLO) object detection model, YOLOv8, offers significant advancements over its predecessors. YOLOv8 utilizes a fully convolutional neural network, comprising two major components: the backbone and the head, incorporating a self-attention mechanism to identify objects at various scales in the image. This model eliminates anchors, reducing box predictions and speeding up post-processing phases. Among the YOLOv8 family, YOLOv8-s stands out as the smallest and fastest model, with a size of 21 MB and a single epoch runtime of only 11 seconds. In this study, the YOLOv8-s model achieved an impressive 99.5% mean average precision (mAP) accuracy rate in real time. By implementing this system, the construction industry can significantly enhance safety practices through efficient and reliable monitoring of personal protective equipment usage at construction sites.