Two Ways Geofencing Makes Construction Sites Safer

Jobsite technology is one of the areas that the recent 2018 Construction Industry Survey, undertaken by Civil Contractors New Zealand and Teletrac Navman. Many in the industry want to know what technology is available for mobile resource management - and how it works to improve safety, site productivity and ultimately affect the bottom line.

Companies using some fleet tracking solutions may have a unique feature available to improve site safety: geofencing. Geofencing is a technological advancement in GPS fleet management that allows signals from a device to pinpoint that device’s location, and draws a digital boundary to encircle the area. It’s almost like setting invisible stakes in the ground to keep construction equipment or vehicles in or out of a defined area.

Here are two ways geofencing can be used to improve safety on construction sites:

Create areas to control speed

When it comes to construction, every job site is different. Some involve people working in close proximity to one another, while other sites could be kilometres long. No matter the geography, each site requires some type of posted speed limit everyone must adhere to. For example, the limit could be on logging sites or 30 km/hour around road construction sites. Creating zones with GPS tracking allows companies to set specific speed boundaries around a worksite. If drivers don’t meet the posted speed within a geofencing zone, or if they brake harshly, a SMS notification notifies managers of it in real-time. That same data can be accessed remotely, allowing managers to take immediate action and coach drivers in the event of unsafe behaviour.

Draw barriers around the worksite or unsafe areas

On construction job sites, there are places where workers can and cannot drive. Some worksites may have designated areas where dangerous goods can be carted, or where weight restrictions are in effect. In other cases, different vehicles may require distinct paths to keep, for example, haul trucks separate from workers and pickup trucks. Geofencing can help differentiate those areas and ensure vehicles move within the proper zones or stay out of areas where they shouldn’t operate; especially if zones aren’t designated with signs.

Managers can receive notifications about any vehicle that enters or leaves the virtual perimeter, recording the exact time of how long the vehicle spent onsite or offsite and their speed. Simultaneously, drivers will receive alerts if they stray off-route, preventing them from moving into unsafe areas.

By marking geographic areas, geofencing helps to prevent worksite accidents by tracking vehicles and ensuring operators remain in safe zones.