→ A major concern when conducting any fieldwork is worker safety, whether it be working at heights, in confined spaces, or in hazardous conditions. Without a drone, the investigation would have involved a high degree of risk or might not have been physically possible. Traditionally, the inspection of façades and balconies of tall condominium buildings require that a worker repel down the exterior of the building or work from a swing stage. These systems require various degrees of fall protection equipment, worker training, and supervision. The use of a drone by an experienced pilot eliminates the need to work from heights for the investigative portion of the project (Figure 3). Once the initial inspection is completed with the aid of a drone, a technician will have a better idea of where further investigation may be needed, thus allowing for the creation of a safe plan of action for future work.
Figure 3: Drone inspection conducted on balconies on a 10 - storey condominium building.
Time is another concern when performing field inspections. When a technician conducts an investigation using traditional methods, they might be onsite for an extended period of time due to the time required to set up equipment necessary to access difficult areas of the building. As mentioned previously, this equipment may include, but not be limited to, scaffolding, scissor lifts, or swing stages. With the use of a drone, a technician can be set up onsite in a matter of minutes and not have to wait for other equipment to access the building. This is beneficial when conducting investigations on taller condominiums where it could take multiple days to set up scaffolding or other equipment. The set - up of this equipment could have unforeseen delays, ultimately holding up the investigation and potential remediation work. Even more mobile equipment, such as lifts and swing stages, require repositioning to capture the entire exterior of the building. The drone allows the technician to cover large areas of the building in a short amount of time without the need to reposition or reconfigure large equipment. Cost is another concern when conducting these types of investigations. An investigation that is conducted with a drone can have cost efficiency over other traditional inspection methods. Typically, some equipment needed to access areas on a condominium property can have high costs associated with setup and use. As mentioned previously, an investigation conducted on a high - rise façade may require a swing stage or rope system to access the exterior of the building. These pieces of equipment typically have to be rented and erected, and additional safety checks need to be conducted prior to a technician using them. With a drone, a technician can get up in the air and identify building anomalies while a swing stage is still being set up (Figure 4).
CCI Review 2022/2023 – 3 —March 2023 Page 11
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