Lee all for use of drones to monitor construction sites

PETALING JAYA: The plan to expand the usage of latest technology such as drones to help monitor construction sites and high risks areas is timely, says Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.

The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health chairman said it could help to minimise the risk faced by its personnel when finding out what is actually happening on the ground.

Lee said the use of latest technology should also be encouraged among developers and contractors to monitor their workers, machines and their activities more effectively.

“Wireless technology combined with the latest software and gadgets such as drones and remote sensing gear could enable safety managers to monitor each worker and machine via their laptops or smartphone apart from assessing the real time condition on the ground.

“New technology is used in developed countries such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to check accident sites and laser scanners for investigations that require accurate three-dimensional (3D) reconstruc- tion of workplace accidents,” he said in a statement.

Recently, Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran said the ministry was planning on expanding the use of drones to monitor construction sites and high-risk areas following the landslide in Jalan Bukit Kukus in Penang on Oct 19.