To inspect buildings with drones is a new innovation in helping both safety administration and construction. There are several construction hazards that affect not only the safety of property owners, property managers, tenants, office staff, and repair contractors, but also the safety of building maintenance personnel, architects, structural engineers, and electrical, structural, mechanical, and plumbing engineers. The primary causes are ineffective planning, ineffective existing building controls, and ineffective supervision of construction activities.
If the aforementioned concerns are not addressed, the resulting consequences can be disastrous. For instance, if the construction manager does not perform well and efficiently, the project may encounter a number of issues as a result of ineffective project management. A flawless construction will ensure worker safety, waste elimination and contamination prevention, efficient and effective operations, and environmental protection. This is only possible if all issues are resolved prior to the start of construction. It is critical to hire expert inspectors to ensure that your construction company does not encounter any major or minor issues that could jeopardize operations.
What Are Aerial Engineers?
Aerial engineers are the professionals who inspect construction sites using aerial vehicles. Their role is to identify any issues that could result in major construction issues in the future. They accomplish this through the use of advanced technology and cameras, such as the RFLIP (Rapid Flap Inspection Method). These engineers’ primary objective is to avoid disruption and damage to properties and infrastructure.
Since their inception, drones have been a part of this field. Thanks to the efforts of software engineers and developers, technology has advanced tremendously. Drones are widely used in a variety of industries, including construction, due to their cost-effectiveness and flexibility, as well as their reusability and ease of use. These benefits make them extremely beneficial for both large and small construction firms.
Death of Architect Erica Tishman
There had been many accident case histories from inspectors that fell to their death during a roofing inspection, electrical inspectors killed by an electrical arc explosion, or professionals being badly injured due to failing building components during construction.
But one of which that deeply saddened us is learning from Interior Design Media of a New York architect with more than 30 years of experience in architectural design, construction, and project management, Erica Tishman who died in December 2019 after being struck by falling debris from a 17-story building in midtown Manhattan.
Whilst we list some of the more glaring and more intriguing of these dangerous building hazards, review accident case histories, and demonstrate procedures of attention, observation, and hazard recognition to mitigate the chances of accidents during building inspections, some building industry players are already looking to drones as the prominent technology solution for preventing casualties and preserving lives.
Inspect Buildings With Drones To The Rescue!
“The death of Erica Tishman tells us that we must move our technology and embrace technology to find a safer way to inspect buildings,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. “Using drones would take us to a new height in carrying out that inspection.”
“It is not a toy, it is a tool,” he added. “These tools will save millions of dollars, save time, but most importantly it could save lives.”
Flyability, a Swiss company creating solutions for the inspection and exploration of indoor, inaccessible, and confined spaces is developing drone technologies to be used safely inside buildings that may enable industrial companies and inspection professionals to reduce downtime, inspection costs, and risks to workers.
They are currently promoting one of their inspection tools called Elios 2 that can perform safe, fast, and cost-effective solutions. It may be the most intuitive, reliable, and precise indoor inspection drone utilizing cutting-edge drone data capture capabilities.
Inspect Buildings With Drones At Construction Sites
Building inspections are extremely costly for construction companies. Additionally, it can be time-consuming. However, by using a drone to conduct an aerial inspection, you can save time, money, and manpower. You can inspect a construction site at any time without devoting an excessive amount of time to it. Additionally, you can easily control the location of your drones due to their ease of use and mobility. You can immediately notify an engineering team of any issues or problems so they can be resolved.
Drones can inspect structures from any angle and above any object. This increases their efficiency. They can fly over an area and detect problems that the naked eye cannot see or feel. They provide images that can easily be presented to executives, allowing them to make quick decisions about detected issues. This contributes to cost savings and increased efficiency.
To inspect buildings with drones is to provide the capability of locating any source of the defect. These drones have the ability to see issues that humans cannot. As a result, they are the best at detecting leaks, cracks, and other defects.
Drones for large-scale construction have been a fantastic idea. Numerous companies nowadays provide services and various solutions to inspect buildings with drones.
Flying a Drone in the Philippines
At present, it is illegal for drones to be flown in certain countries or certain districts.
But according to the Philippines’ national aviation authority, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), flying a drone is legal in the Philippines, with the condition that the proper certification requirements for flying a drone in the country are secured first and compliances with drone regulations strictly observed.
Some important notes from their Memorandum Circular No. 29-15 Series of 2015:
- To fly a drone for commercial purposes, or to fly a drone that weighs 7 kilograms (15 pounds) or more, a certificate from the CAAP is required
- Only fly during the day and in good weather.
- Do not let the drone outside of your visual line of sight.
- Do not fly over populated areas, such as schools or marketplaces.
- Do not fly higher than 400 feet above ground level.
- Do not closer than 30 meters (98 feet) from persons not involved with the drone’s operation.
- Do not fly closer than 10 kilometers (6 miles) from airports.
- Do not fly near emergencies, such as fires.
So it seems operating drones for industrial applications such as inside construction sites or for medical rescue is still very much outside of the scope and that current regulations view flying drones only as personal hobbies. Perhaps we’d see more of these drone integrations in medical tourism projects in the future.
Do you think there would be more drone interventions for construction applications in the future? If so, in what other ways? I would love to know how you see drone technologies helping your industry. Kindly leave your comments below.
