b'TECHNOLOGYDRONESIN CONSTRUCTIONHOW DRONES ARE RAPIDLY CHANGING THE NORMS ON CONSTRUCTION JOBSITESBy Warren HeeleyTHE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY has been embracingThe time-saving uses of drones can significantly reduce project the use of drone technology in the last few years and it iscompletion times and cut costs, which will give contractors using having a significant impact on how certain tasks on the jobsitedrones a potential advantage in the bid process. Drone use are done. Drones are a tool that has improved the processesfrees up time for construction companies to remain focused of inspections, inventory and surveillance, as well as providingon their strengths. Using drone technology for inspections of real-time images of the construction site. The industry issuch things as welds and rebar placements also allows work also benefiting from this technology in areas such as safety,to continue on jobsite assets during the inspection process, communications and project costs. explains Hanson.Because of the sheer size of many construction projects, droneExamples of current drone use on construction sites include:technology, also known as remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) byReplacing traditional methods of land and building surveys. Transport Canada, is very effective, efficient and adds valueDrones significantly reduce labour, time and costs for accurate to construction projects. According to Tom Hanson, partnersurveys. They can obtain data in less time than traditional in The Sky Guys, a company that provides drone services toapproaches. For example, a drone can survey more than 400 construction companies, The keys to successfully integratinghectares of land in one hour.drones into the operations of a company is consultation and working together with the company to determine their needs andEnhancing communications and maintaining ongoinghow this technology can be cost effective and increase contact between staff and other stakeholders on the jobsite. their productivity. For example, information including drawings from drones can In general, drones can quickly collect and report data, providebe shared with subcontractor companies. Drone cameras also provide video footage as part of the communication and better intelligence to the contractor and reduce human error onsurveillance process to managers and owners. Drone data is in jobsites. Drones free up workers to be utilized in other areas toreal time which can result in a significant increase in efficiencies increase productivity. Experts forecast that drones will take onby decreasing the time for data gathering and response time to more tasks in the future and become a more integral part ofsite problems. They assist the contractor in managing the site on construction projects. a 24/7 basis.34Quarter 1 2020 BUILDERSDIGEST'