News Being stuck away from site does not mean you have to be out of the loop

Back in June an odd statistic was thrown up by Office for National Statistics and reported on by the BBC.

The surprise? Remarkably, “35% of construction workers work from home”. By definition the construction trade is hands-on; things do not get built without physical labour of some description.

So, of course, this figure seems more than absurd – and any fears it might be true are allayed in the article itself. However, it does bring into play the ever-increasing balancing act managers, workers and clients have to deal with – how does an industry based around the construction of buildings and infrastructure not only remain relevant but actively embrace the digital age.

Technology is embedded into our lives; computers are a part of our everyday lives. In the construction industry, the boundaries between office-based planning and on-site work are constantly being blurred. Whilst construction workers supposedly working from home is completely irrational, it is very common for site managers to not be on-site as much as they want.

And that means not having eyes on their site could be as impractical as ‘working’ from home.

Time-lapse companies – particularly those offering mobile-friendly functions – are already helping people in the industry to embrace technology as a tool, which in turn helps key players to maintain control over a job even when they are away from site.

Over 70% of UK phone users own a smartphone, which means over 70% of UK phone users – no matter what operating system they are running on – can access our iRis 2.6 viewing portal.

What is iRis exactly? Our Interactive Remote Imaging System works hand-in-hand with the bespoke camera systems we have installed around the country. Once a camera is in place, it takes images at set intervals – usually every 15 minutes – and uploads them into the secure viewing area.

Once online, anyone you chose to have access to your portal can view images in real-time. So no matter where you are in the world or whatever time zone you are in, you can keep an eye on deliveries, plant and construction itself.

Time-lapse photography is still a relatively new tool, but it is being utilised more and more. Unrivalled picture quality, viewable in stunning Ultra High Definition, is more than just a gimmick – it is almost as good as actually being there.

Working from home is still impossible, but fulfilling your management responsibilities on the move certainly is not. Photography is more than a marketing tool (though a fully post-produced edit can also have its own economic benefits) and now is the time to embrace it.

It might not be as relaxing as working from home, but there is no price on peace of mind.