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Safety first Firm leaders share how implementing new technology has helped them improve safety on their projects. B E S T P R A C T I C E S
By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent W hether you’re working on a new project de- sign or trying to refine your time manage- ment skills, it’s likely that technology is playing a role. But, what about safety? Are project manag- ers using technology to increase safety on job sites, too? The answer is a resounding “Yes.” At KSS Architects (Princeton, NJ), a 60-per- son firm, Architect Kyle Rendall says that, with the onset of ever-advancing and specialized technolo- gy, they have seen a great deal of increases in site safety improvement in addition to worker account- ability. SAY CHEESE. “Project sites remain complex; with myr- iad tasks and meticulous processes co-occurring, technological aids such as construction cameras can offer essential oversight throughout a proj- ect’s life cycle,” he says. “On-site cameras in the industry, originally intended to document progress throughout construction, have proven valuable for additional measures.” With the greater abundance and affordability of technology, contractors have become more aware of opportunities to proactively monitor a site for unsafe practices and hazardous conditions. Owners can request camera installation for fund- raising and insurance purposes, and insecure con- ditions or actions can be easily identified, docu- mented, and remediated. In the event of on-site ac- cidents and collapses, emergency responders can access footage revealing the approximate locations of potentially endangered workers, saving valuable time during rescue and recovery efforts. The electronic availability of information for week- ly site safety discussions and hazard communi- cation safety data sheets are further examples of technological opportunities with beneficial yields. “In our extensive on-site experiences for projects with a broad swath of scopes and budgets, safety is, and always will be, paramount, and these techno- logical advances are quickly becoming vital tools in achieving it,” Rendall says. This new found benefit does not come without its challenges. One of the main ones has to do with sites and establishing proper camera placement and mounting to provide full coverage of construc-
tion activities. “Site context and construction logistics can pre- clude this, decreasing footage value and leaving gaps in coverage,” he adds. “Moreover, the quality of images and footage varies, and correlates direct- ly with the cost of the service.” Provided that the average construction budget doesn’t account for top-end systems, images can be captured at slow rates (for example, once every 30 minutes), limiting the effectiveness beyond overall tracking of construction progress. “We hope that with increased use in the industry, more all-encompassing technology services will be included in project budgets and teams will have better access to these effective tools,” he says. STREAMLINING SAFETY; TRACKING TRENDS. At O’Neal Inc. (Greenville, SC), a 275-person industrial engineering and construction company, Jason Jones, director of virtual design and construction, says that one of the most widely adopted uses for technology in the area of safety is the use of digital safety checklists and task hazard analysis forms. These are pre-loaded on tablets with tools such as Autodesk BIM 360 Field and Bluebeam. “By making the checklists cloud-hosted and avail- able on field tablets, we are providing easier access to the checklists and significantly streamlining the reporting process,” Jones says. “This allows our field professionals to perform many safety checks in less time, so we end up doing more. In turn, the reporting features allow our PMs and safety ex- perts access to trending issues, so we can be proac- tive if we see a particular issue on the rise.” There are other safety tools that require the com- bined expertise of PMs, safety experts, superinten- dents, and virtual design and construction staff. For example, with Synchro or Autodesk Navis- works Manage, VDC staff is able map BIM model elements to the construction schedule and model in scaffolding, mast climbers, lifts, cranes, and site safety block-outs to identify no-fly zones at differ- ent phases of construction. Project management and BIM technology is also used to keep track of schedules and inspections and to share documents and photos with subcon- tractors and vendors.
Kyle Rendall, Architect, KSS Architects.
See SAFETY, page 8
THE ZWEIG LETTER JANUARY 4, 2016, ISSUE 1133
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