How Drones Are Making Construction Projects Safer
Date Posted: May 9, 2024
Posted In: Discussion, Drone,
From Commercial UAV News: This week is “Construction Safety Week,” an annual event that promotes the “industry’s safety culture and performance by strengthening the resolve of every person who walks onto a job site to be fully focused–mind and body–on safety.”
As most people know, construction work can be dangerous work. Heavy machinery and high-powered tools are always in use, and workers often find themselves in hazardous environments, such as on high scaffolding or in muddy ditches.
Working in these situations, construction personnel often fall victim to cuts and scrapes, strains, sprains, broken bones, and even electrocution. A round-up of recent studies on industry safety found that, each year in the US, 1% of construction workers suffer an injury serious enough to miss work. In 2022, the round-up reported, “there were 4.5 million medically consulted injuries among construction workers.”
Moreover, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), construction is the second most dangerous profession in terms of fatalities. The agency stated that, “Workers in construction and extraction occupations had the second most fatalities (1,056) in 2022 compared to other occupation groups. Falls, slips, or trips were the events precipitating 423 of these fatalities.”
It’s no surprise, then, that the construction industry is focused on improving safety through initiatives like Construction Safety Week. It’s also no surprise that uncrewed systems are increasingly being put to use to bolster safety on job sites.
A recent article posted at For Construction Pros details the need for incorporating the technology. Drones, the piece reports, “are used on at least 37% of construction sites, and they can significantly reduce the need for human workers to climb to high areas for inspections. With falls from dangerous heights accounting for more than a third of fatal construction accidents, that’s a big deal.” Also, the story stated, there is “the potential for drone-mounted sensors to help detect heat signatures to prevent fires as well as dangerous equipment malfunctions, and in commercial spaces, robots are being used to detect slip-and-fall hazards.”