The global pandemic has had a significant impact on the construction industry worldwide. Many of the industry professionals are still working from home – project managers, architects, and many more. This has boosted remote construction monitoring services to become a new normal.
Remote Monitoring as a Service – with Construction IoT Sensors
Construction project managers often have multiple projects running but can only be in one place at a time. This is where remote construction site monitoring comes to the rescue.
For several years, job site camera monitoring has been available for theft prevention and workforce activity tracking tasks. However, with new IoT-sensor/Cloud systems, remote monitoring is also becoming popular for optimizing job site conditions – for better construction quality, improved workers’ health, and secured on-time scheduling. Cloud-connected sensors can measure multiple parameters, from air quality to concrete slab moisture, and share live mobile alerts and reports with all stakeholders.
New Job for Remote Monitoring Advisers
There is also a new role and title emerging in construction projects – Remote Data Manager or remote job site adviser. Such an adviser continuously monitors the live data streaming from the project site and provides feedback and advice to the site managers. Their task is to ensure that the project’s work quality, workers’ health, and project scheduling targets are being met based on the live data and alerts. One adviser working remotely can monitor and consult several job sites simultaneously.
Using eGate solutions as an example, here are a couple of unique remote monitoring use-cases that every construction project can benefit from:
01. Monitoring concrete slab drying time:
A concrete slab can take anywhere from 2 to 6 months to dry before installing the flooring material. The drying time can vary widely depending on the ambient conditions and the project team’s actions on optimizing the site conditions, especially for humidity and temperature. Delays in the floor installation can put the project behind schedule and trigger significant penalties. On the other hand, installing flooring too early can cause expensive warranty repairs later due to the moisture damage.
Using IOT sensor data to calculate and predict the concrete slab drying time continuously helps the remote monitoring adviser provide live guidance if the concrete drying is not progressing along with the project schedule. They can recommend additional heaters and blowers on-site, for example, to expedite the process. The impact can be a significant improvement in keeping the project on schedule.
Similar benefits can be gained during bridge construction. The IoT sensors will continuously monitor the bridge deck concrete curing conditions for optimal cement bonding and strength. If the conditions (Temp and RH%) fall outside the ideal range, the system will send alerts for job site teams to act.
02. Dust monitoring:
Dust control can be a significant challenge in many construction projects for both the workers’ health and the general cleanliness of the job site.
OSHA has set limits on construction workers’ exposure to fine respiratory dust, such as Silica Dust, and expects the construction management to monitor and minimize related health risks.
Construction dust may also become a problem for adjacent buildings that cannot tolerate any dust entering their clean interiors, hospital construction being a typical example.
Wireless dust monitoring sensors can alert if the dust levels exceed the OSHA limits within the work area for remote monitoring purposes. Such sensors can also monitor the general cleanliness of the job site, especially at the end of the project when cleaning should have been completed. By using dust sensors, in combination with job site compartments and differential pressure transmitters, alerts can also be triggered if the dust barriers fail and start leaking into the clean side of the facility.
Construction IoT Sensors Make Projects More Efficient
With live mobile alerts and reports, remote monitoring helps address problems at the job site in real-time. In addition, it eliminates the project managers’ need to travel several miles to visit and inspect sites continually. Now, monitoring can be done from a distance, and based on the live data and alerts, the project manager’s focus can be shifted quickly to projects that are falling behind schedule.
In today’s construction industry, remote monitoring services, with live visibility into job site conditions, are becoming an essential new practice to work smarter, save time, and save money.
For more information about eGate Remote Monitoring Services for construction projects, please contact us at info@sitebiotics.io or for more information about eGate, please visit https://sitebiotics.io/services/egate-industries/
