S A F E T Y & COM P LI A N C E | By JP Giometti
Five Ways DRONES Are Improving Jobsite Safety Contractors are leveraging drone technologies to minimize risk and keep workers safe.
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In addition, some areas around the site may be unstable or challenging to access. Drone systems enable surveyors to get accurate information on a worksite without having to walk the entire area. Surveyors can visualize and inspect a site using drones, which means they don’t have to be at the worksite physically. In addition, overhead images from a drone will show cranes and other heavy equipment locations to pinpoint potential hazards and provide proactive directives to reduce danger for workers. Drone systems can also identify potential hazards such as a dangerous road grade and other site conditions. Visual inspections and surveys with a drone take hours compared to days for a surveyor to walk the site. By shortening the survey time, work can progress sooner so that jobs stay on target.
2. MONITOR SITE PROGRESS Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offer contractors a view of the workzone and jobsite. With more complex drone solutions, you can control multiple jobsites on the same platform, capture digital twin models of the jobsite from different dates to track progress, and provide digital documentation.
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dvanced contractors utilize drones and drone software as part of their broader effort to use new robotic technologies to proactively inspect and maintain roads, bridges and infrastructure. Drones collect data in real time by flying over the jobsite, allowing managers to see what is happening, track project progress and help discover early issues. Typically, contractors fly drones around multiple sites multiple times a week, processing thousands of images and finding new use cases and workflows. Drones capture videos and images but it is imperative that you use a software solution that can understand the information
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captured and make it worthwhile for your organization. Surveyors and contractors can quickly collect survey data from drones to create high-quality 3D models. Contractors share the 3D model generated with drone data across multiple team members for enhanced project collaboration. These contractors collaborate with a technology partner to successfully develop and implement their drone programs. Drone systems, which include the drone itself and software to process data, are becoming increasingly common at jobsites, helping contractors to capture surveying, planning and worksite data. This information can be used to increase safety, check
work progress, monitor materials and equipment and gain insights through advanced analytics to make more informed decisions. Following are five ways drones are being used to improve safety on construction sites.
1. REMOTE SITE SURVEYS & INSPECTIONS To survey a site before or inspect it during construction, surveyors physically walk around a jobsite. For a large construction site or highway, this is a very time-consuming process. It can also be dangerous because of all the heavy equipment that is moving about, plus there is the risk of a surveyor getting struck by heavy objects and materials.
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Drone systems come in handy when it comes to monitoring the progress of work on large construction sites. People no longer have to physically visit a site, which is useful when viewing hazardous areas. Drones send real-time video of site progress to managers. This information can generate a 3D model of the site, which can then be compared to the initial plan to make sure everything is progressing on schedule. You can run side-by-side comparisons of the construction site across selected dates to view progress, and stay on schedule by monitoring execution progress and comparing work executed with design plans. You can also determine if the construction work is deviating from the original plan.
