During COVID-19 response, the number of people permitted on an active construction site was reduced to help social distancing. Virtual walk-throughs and progress reports once were for executives and stakeholders who could not be present, and usually presented after the fact.
Now, more companies are using videoconferencing tools to do live virtual walk-throughs for even management teams in an effort to reduce the number of people on site. Construction Dive recently looked at Clark Construction’s use videoconferencing on the job site.
From Construction Dive:
While recordings or photos of jobsite work are sometimes used for out-of-town employees, they don’t provide stakeholders with the real-time ability to point out issues or discuss solutions. Video calls keep everyone on the same page and save time on RFIs or following up on different questions and problems.
The biggest challenges are selecting a videoconferencing platform and ensuring service is strong enough to share clear video with the highest number of people. One of the ways Clark [Construction] mitigated this was deploying cellular repeater stations onsite to boost the signal.
At a recent project in Columbia, Maryland, the Clark team used videoconferencing during a sealant test that required participation from stakeholders, while also limiting the number of people onsite, according to a Clark blog post. The test was live streamed to trade representatives, who could view the results, and recorded for future reference.
