New job site restrictions due to the pandemic have projects scrambling to figure out how to continue work. This Construction Dive article shares how technology is making it possible.
The coronavirus pandemic has shocked U.S. construction into needing to adopt new technologies to maintain social distancing and monitor jobsites remotely. Those adaptations, some construction leaders say, should have been adopted in the first place, before the pandemic forced contractors to implement them.
The outbreak has also forced more connection between the site and office, as most office workers have been relegated to working from home. Shared data and digital connectivity is becoming the norm, said Scott Crozier, general manager of civil engineering and construction for software company Trimble, as engineers, architects, site supervisors and other stakeholders need up-to-date information no matter the construction environment.
Not only has tech within companies been lacking, as often one worker with a single USB is in charge of distributing data on some sites, Crozier said, but government inspections requiring in-person, scheduled visits may mean project delays.
Crozier noted that inspectors are beginning to allow the use of technology for virtual inspections. In Europe, he said, often a contractor doing a specific job, such as laying pipe, will fully document the work and have it reviewed by remote inspectors, which speeds up the process immensely, because no one needs to physically visit the site.
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