Geofencing can be used as a powerful health and safety tool. In an earlier post, we explained what geofencing is, how it works, and touched on a few examples of what it can be used for. Here at Tended, we believe that the most important and powerful use of geofencing is to improve worksite safety, ensuring everyone returns home safe from work every day.
Defining safe and unsafe zones
Every worksite has safe and unsafe zones, whether pre-defined or not. An unsafe zone is an area on the worksite where a known hazard is present and there is a risk of harm being caused to people working in that space. For example, this might be a section of a construction site where plant is moving around or an open line on a railway.
Using geofencing technology, safe and unsafe zones can be virtually mapped out on an online dashboard over your worksite and wearable devices can then be assigned to these zones.
So how does this improve worksite safety?
When a worker who is wearing the device leaves a safe zone or approaches an unsafe area, this triggers a combination of audible, visual and haptic alerts, notifying the wearer that they are currently in an area with a high risk of injury, or worse.
This gives them a timely "tap on the shoulder", helping them regain situational awareness and a signal that they should move back to a position of safety.
This can be an incredibly useful tool in a broad range of industries and scenarios:
On the railway
Helping to stop workers from deviating into the path of oncoming trains.
In the utilities sector
To keep workers away from hazards including high-voltage units and exposure to arcing.
In mining
Highlighting restricted and dangerous areas for workers to avoid.
On construction sites
Keeping workers away from hazardous onsite activities such as plant, material deliveries and tipping areas.
In warehousing
Helping with yard management and alerting staff when approaching moving plant..
Long-term behaviour benefits
Nudge Theory plays a crucial role in the effectiveness of using geofencing to improve site safety. The principle is that the ‘right’ behaviours can be influenced by presenting an obvious, but subconscious, choice and the person is ‘nudged’ into a decision, which is generally met with less resistance than direct instruction.
Over time, this “tap on the shoulder” (or a nudge) automatically prompts a behavioural change by bringing danger into conscious awareness. These adjustments to behaviour are normalised over time so that worker spatial awareness is increased and safer behaviours occur more naturally.
To learn more about Nudge Theory read our post on behavioural nudges.
* Thaler, R. H., & Sunstein, C. R. (2008). Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness. Yale University Press
