A new piece of safety equipment is starting to become commonplace on construction sites around the world. However, it’s easy to overlook because most of the time it’s flying overhead. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), aka drones, have rapidly evolved from military and recreational applications to mission-critical tools for monitoring construction site safety. Today’s drones are really aerial data collection centers that use machine vision to “see” what’s happening on a job site. Once the data is collected, artificial intelligence (AI) can be used for data analysis and decision-making.

The commercial drone industry is growing very quickly. According to a recent Goldman Sachs report, the construction sector will see the fastest growth in what is expected to be a $100 billion market by 2020.

Accidents in the construction industry take their toll. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says there were more than 1,000 construction industry fatalities in 2015.

Drones are a proactive way to improve site safety. The CDC report notes that one of the major advantages of drones is their ability to monitor large construction sites. UAVs equipped with infrared cameras, radar, or laser-based range finders, can provide detailed imaging of a site — and can closely track moving objects, such as people, equipment, and material. That information can help site managers identify potential safety issues.