Concerned about your construction site’s emission productions or conditions? Find out how IoT can be used to support you and futureproof you with upcoming projects here.
For any individuals working within the construction industry, it’s widely known that public and environmental safety is central to the security of a project.
Poor air quality, loud noise and high Co2 emissions not only cause risk to those in the surrounding area and the environment, but can be extremely costly to you.
Exceeding limits will lead to fines, penalties, work stoppages, and complaints, all of which damage your business.
However, through the use of IoT (Internet of Things) consequences such as this can be avoided, but what is an IoT and how can the construction industry use them?
What is an IoT?
IoT stands for Internet of Things and represents a physical device such as a sensor, appliance, machine or embedded into technology, allowing you to connect to or exchange data over a network.
By doing this, these devices enable remote monitoring, control and automation.
Over recent years, technology has been developed to support industries with monitoring conditions such as the weather, Co2, dust particles and air quality through the use of IoT devices.
The Risks of Poor Site Condition Monitoring at Construction Sites
Although IoT devices can be utilised across all industries, they bring particular benefit to construction sites due to the legal limitations placed upon them.
Without monitoring, there are numerous risks to construction sites if poor condition monitoring is in place:
- Risk to workers’ health due to exposure to large amounts of dust and fumes.
- Pollution to the surrounding area through soil, water and air.
- Project delays if work stoppages are implemented by the Local Authorities.
- Risk to residents and visitors’ health if exposed to high Co2, dust and poor air quality.
- Financial loss faced by fines and penalties for exceeding limitations.
- Noise disruption that disturbs the community and nearby wildlife.
- Bad business reputation created through poorly managed site conditions.
At WCCTV we offer Site Condition Monitoring Sensors as additional features alongside our products, particularly our CCTV Towers to help monitor the following information:
- Weather conditions
- Decibel levels
- Particle monitoring
- CO2 emissions
- Local Air Quality Management (LAQM)
IoT sensors like our own help to avoid the risks and consequences linked to poor construction site management, but how can they actually be used by the industry?
How Can IoT be Used in Construction
Construction businesses, contractors, and subcontractors all rely upon maintaining good relationships in order to gain future projects.
We explore 6 ways IoT sensors can be used within construction to prevent against the risks presented to them:
Environmental Monitoring
Construction as a whole is the second-largest contributor to air pollution in the UK, and in addition to this, issues such as noise and water pollution, waste generation and ecosystem destruction are all potential risks created from the industry also.
Hence why limitations have been implemented to support the move towards creating a greener industry and support the Government’s Net Zero promise.
Although construction is necessary, Local Authorities will monitor projects to ensure the local environment is protected and maintained as expected by those responsible for the site.
Breaches could lead to financial penalties and even work stoppages where frequent occurrences have been reported.
To avoid your site falling victim to this, IoT sensors can be used to monitor factors like Co2 emissions, air quality and noise, all of which have been linked to contributing negatively towards the environment.
This monitoring can be tracked and where concerns are found, rectified quickly, reducing the risk of environmental damage due to your construction site.
Helps With Data-Driven Decision Making
Without monitoring, how do you know you’re staying with the limitations set? The simple answer is, you don’t and that leaves you open to all the risks and consequences mentioned earlier.
Projects will go through various stages where some emissions will be more likely to occur.
It’s important to find ways to manage this appropriately and having data to support this will help ensure you can make decisions that will actually benefit your construction site.
With our site condition monitoring sensors, they provide daily insights, informing you where there are potential increases or in the worst case, trigger an alert to let you know when limits have been exceeded.
This allows you to make appropriate adjustments to improve such conditions like increased ventilation, preventing the risk of exceeding limits and facing any repercussions associated with poor site conditions.
Real-Time Insights
Site condition monitoring is only beneficial for your construction site if insights can be provided in real-time, otherwise any later and it may already be too late.
Due to the developments in IoT devices, real-time insights can now be provided through the use of sensors including our own to ensure you can be proactive and reactive in your response rather than retrospective.
This could save your construction site from costly penalties and work stoppages, all of which could cause delays to a project.
Maintain Site Condition Limits
The main benefit of using IoT sensors in construction is the support they can provide to maintain limits set surrounding site conditions.
Their monitoring capabilities provide insights which allow you to respond appropriately to upkeep the site’s standards and reduce the negative impacts created through this.
However, with the site condition sensors we offer alongside all of our products we ensure that personal limits can be set and linked to the technology so that if they are exceeded then this will trigger an alert that will inform those relevant.
This provides further reassurance to you as it provides backup support in moments where you may be unable to regularly check on the insights provided by the sensors.
Once triggered, you can work speedily to a resolution to minimise the chances of facing any negative financial or legal consequences.
Keep Positive Community Relationships
Noise pollution and damage to the environment can heavily impact the relationship you have as a construction company with the nearby community.
Poor community relationships can cause disputes, disruptions, protests and even work stoppages, therefore it’s vital to upkeep a positive, open relationship with any residents or visitors likely to be impacted by your construction site.
It may seem unlikely, but IoT sensors are one of the ways to do this.
Their capability to monitor noise, dust and emissions mean that you can ensure the community is kept safe throughout your project which helps upkeep a positive relationship with them.
Also, if any complaints are made you can utilise the data to check that you were within the limitations set and display this to the relevant Local Authorities to alleviate any disputes.
Provides Evidence For Any Site Delays
Keeping contracts and having the capability to gain new ones relies on project success, one of the main factors being that you remain on schedule, however, changes in weather can impact this.
Although it is not under your control when this occurs, it will likely cause project delays which you will need to answer to. Without evidence, this could lead to disputes due to a lack of proof from your side.
That’s where IoT sensors come into play as not only do they monitor weather conditions, but they gather and store that evidence for the future to support in situations like project delays.
By having data-backed evidence, companies are more likely to understand your perspective and maintain a positive working relationship with them, as well as helping gain future projects.
Secure Your Construction Site and Your Future with WCCTV
Site condition monitoring holds the future of construction sites as we move towards a greener, safer future.
At WCCTV, we work constantly to be innovative with our security solutions and additional offerings to help all industries including construction secure themselves now and for the future.
Our CCTV Tower range provides solar-based and eco-friendly offerings that can help reduce emissions and energy productions, with the option to add our IoT sensors onto our products to help with condition monitoring.
Using various suppliers for your external requirements is not only complex, but can create difficulties with the effectiveness and cost of the services involved in your project.
By utilising a well-established security company like ourselves, we provide an option where you only require one supplier for your security and site condition monitoring without skimping on the quality of service you receive.
Speak with one of WCCTV’s security experts today to see how we can support your construction site today!
