New Technology for Construction Project Safety

Over the last year, Scott + Reid has made it a top priority to be on the forefront of technology to improve our projects’ safety. Scott + Reid’s Safety Director, Colin Harmon, has shared a few of the ways we are moving towards this goal.

 

VISUAL ASSESSMENT

Our Superintendents are using drones to take pictures for daily project update reports and to check on subcontractors for large projects. For example, a drone can be utilized to check on roofers, minimizing personnel climbing ladders. We are also using drone footage to verify fall protection systems are in place as required by OSHA. Drones are helpful when inspecting subcontractors’ excavations to verify that they are sloping/benching/protecting them correctly. It even allows for estimation of truck loads of soil/concrete to help cut back on cost and risk.

 

DIGITAL SAFETY DOCUMENTS

After years of chasing down loose, coffee-stained paperwork, we have moved all safety-related documents to a digital platform. With Procore, our subcontractors and superintendents can access the necessary safety documents in one place and at any time. This transition ensures the team has access to what they need when they need it. Not only are documents easier to find, they are held in an environmentally-friendly digital archive.

 

 

SAFETY APPS

In addition to Procore, we have also leveraged Open Space and Teams to help improve our safety focus. Open Space allows a team to create 360-degree progress photos and visit a particular place at the job, at any moment in time. It has been a useful tool for our Safety Director to check on projects in Tulsa, Houston, Tyler and El Paso in a single day (from Dallas). He can add notes that the project team sees immediately and issues and concerns can be addressed in real-time.

 

 

When it comes to construction safety, technology continues to rapidly advance in ways that are hugely beneficial to our work. We look forward to incorporating additional developments that allow us to operate efficiently and effectively in keeping our teams and projects safe.