Cultivating on-site safety awareness by leveraging automation for vital insights

Author: Brad Mullis is Product Manager, Machine Control, at Hexagon's Geosystems division

Heavy construction sites are bustling hubs of activity where workers, equipment and valuable assets converge. Digital solutions generate data-based insights to ensure safety.

Every business wants to avoid unnecessary expenses to stay financially healthy. In the world of construction, keeping costs in check is especially vital. But when it comes to safety, it is not only about scorched money. The real concern applies to the people under the hard hats as the construction industry remains one of the riskiest sectors globally, with high rates of fatalities and injuries.

Construction workers are three times more likely to be killed and twice as likely to be injured compared to workers in other industries. Safety must be the top priority. It even is key from an economic point of view as construction injuries cost nearly twice as much as in other industries.

Technology is the key to site safety culture

By understanding the importance of safety, we can accelerate a culture that prioritises it. Regular safety training sessions, hazard identification programs, and tool-specific training are mandatory for all personnel on a construction site. Over the past decade, digital solutions such as machine control technologies have made operations more accurate, efficient and sustainable. They also increasingly become a platform for safety awareness solutions directly in the cab. The displayed information gives machine operators a better understanding of their surroundings and can prevent machineto-people, machine-to-machine and machine-to-object collisions.

With accurate positioning and measurement of sites, capturing relevant data starts early and continues throughout the project life cycle. The right distances and volumes are essential for construction safety as the information will define later operations through the design model. Reality capture technologies provide fast access to accurate and holistic digital replications of the actual site conditions. Capturing the data with autonomous laser scanners such as the Leica BLK2FLY additionally minimises risks for construction surveyors as climbing on stockpiles or into excavation pits becomes obsolete. To avoid cutting fibre cables or pipelines, the site conditions must be determined for future above-ground and in-ground operations. Modern utility detection radar systems uncover hidden safety hazards and help avoid major incidents.

Leica Geosystems has over 200 years of experience in measurement and survey and is part of Hexagon, a global leader in sensors, software, and autonomous solutions. Based on this expertise, we have developed a whole solutions portfolio to increase safety awareness on construction sites. Focusing on heavy equipment and moving vehicles, we tackle one of the industry’s most significant hazards, as struck-by incidents consistently rank among the top causes of fatalities in construction.

Protecting people, equipment and assets with technology

To increase safety awareness, Leica Geosystems and Xwatch Safety Solutions joined forces to enable safer operation of construction equipment. Xwatch’s XW Series of safety systems includes dual height sensor limitation and height and rated capacity indication (RCI), also called safe load indication (SLI). Integrated with 2D and 3D machine control and safety awareness solutions from Leica Geosystems, these technologies prevent an excavator from lifting more than allowed as per health and safety requirements or local legislation.

The latest combined solution allows users to create or import 3D avoidance zones above and below the surface area directly within the Leica MC1 machine control software. From overhead obstructions to busy areas, existing infrastructure, and underground utilities — approaching these zones triggers the hydraulic functions of the excavator to slow down or stop entirely.

The combined solutions are also integrated with the Personal Alert (PA) solutions. The PA10 combines a tag worn by ground personnel which communicates with anchors on the machines and vehicles to alert all parties if a person is getting too close. The solution provides three configurable alert distances and gives audio, visual and vibratory feedback to the pedestrian as well as visual and audible feedback to the machine operator or driver.

To enhance this functionality, the Leica iCON PA80 integrates the personal alert solution with the Leica MC1 machine control. The machine operator receives visual and audible warnings directly on the in-cabin display. Pedestrians with a PA tag can trigger a panic alert that will notify the machine operator. When a tagged person or object is within a preconfigured zone around the machine, the Xwatch technology will first slow down and then safely stop the machine.

Adding collision avoidance technology (CAS) to the personal alert solutions brings in machineto-machine communication, calculating potential collisions with a range of up to 800 metres.

Extending the on-site visibility enhances safety even more. The VA80 (Visual Aid) is a plug-and-play IP camera with a 120-degrees field of view. The solution allows operators to capture images and geographic locations of single logged points to improve the as-built documentation. Incidents or hazardous situations can be recorded and exported via USB and Leica ConX. The connection to the cloud-based collaboration platform also improves remote support, as the actual situation can be shared via a live camera feed.

Data-based insights increase safety awareness

Adopting the technology and frequent training helps pedestrians, machine operators and office personnel to increase safety awareness on-site and minimise incidents. The Leica ConX Safety Awareness Module uses the existing Leica ConX cloud infrastructure to collect data and alerts generated from the Leica iCON PA10, iCON PA80, and CAS solutions. Site managers have a complete overview of incidents and potential incidents. Measuring and analysing the data will further improve the level of safety over time as it helps to avoid similar situations in the future

Data can be filtered and exported by event, equipment type, specific machine and event danger level. Additionally, the module visualises the selected data on a heatmap, making it easy for safety managers to identify elevated risk areas — or even specific machines at substantial risk.

To enhance office-to-field communications, office personnel can send SOS alerts to all MC1 software users, selected users or specific machine operators. This way, field crews can be informed about anticipated events that might affect their work or cause on-site emergencies, like fires, chemical spills and severe weather. The recipients must acknowledge the notification, which helps identify units that might still be in danger and make quick decisions concerning further actions

Prevention is better than cure

In this dynamic environment, prevention is certainly better than cure. One of the biggest challenges in overseeing health and safety on a jobsite is the lack of awareness of what is happening on site. Preventative action can only be taken once you know about near misses and potential incidents, but they are unlikely to be reported.

Industry leads and authorities are responsible for cultivating safety awareness and taking appropriate actions. Technology can help mitigate risks and protect human lives, equipment and assets. It even goes beyond physical safety. Providing peace of mind addresses the psychological aspect of workers' well-being, fostering a positive work environment and promoting a sense of security and confidence in their daily tasks.

While construction workers benefit from a better perception of their surroundings, office staff are enabled to further improve conditions based on data from real-life situations. Prioritising these aspects enhances safety and job satisfaction, drives productivity, and promotes sustainability by minimising accidents, reducing downtime, and optimising resource utilisation.