In September 2022, Network Rail issued its latest safety standard (NR/ L2/OHS/501 Module W4) which is a module that, for the first time, specifies the requirements for the use of geofencing on the railway. This coincided with Tended’s technology receiving official product acceptance to be deployed across the UK’s rail network, following years of successful trials with Network Rail’s trackside teams.
Soon after this in October, AmcoGiffen joined Tended in its mission to improve trackside safety, becoming the first principal contractor to begin using the technology on the railway. Thus, playing a vital role in helping to highlight the benefits of geofencing to improve safety across the UK’s rail network.
Having developed this solution alongside Network Rail’s Safety Task Force, Tended has been instrumental in bringing geofencing to the forefront of the railway industry, helping to revolutionise track worker safety and onsite operations. With AmcoGiffen joining Tended on this journey to pioneer the future of safety technology on the rail, together we have been able to build a united approach towards eliminating track worker accidents and fatalities.
Andy Crowley, Operations Director for AmcoGiffen said: “We’re always looking for innovative solutions to enhance safety on our challenging live project sites. Getting everyone home safe and healthy, every day, is our primary goal."
"We strive to create the right setting for our people to work in the safest way possible for themselves, their team, our clients and their customers. We welcome technological solutions like this, which provide us with added protection on site. We're excited about working on this trial with Tended and being able to see first-hand the benefits of the product.”
Here’s an update on what we’ve been up to on site with them over the past two months.
For the past two months, Tended’s safety solution has been incorporated into AmcoGiffen’s daily trackside operations.
The solution uses high-precision geofencing technology to enable planners to define safe working zones onsite before work starts. A small wearable device is then assigned to workers onsite, alerting them in real-time if they cross a geofence boundary and leave safe working limits. This alert notifies them of their potentially unsafe position and helps them regain situational awareness and step back into safety.
Tended’s solution has been adding an extra layer of protection for AmcoGiffen’s workers completing troughing works. The incredible accuracy of Tended’s technology has been particularly crucial for this use case, which is typically conducted as adjacent open-line working where the rule book allows for this to be completed safely, magnifying the importance of device precision.
With cm-level accuracy, teams can work safely and confidently next to open lines, knowing they’ll be alerted the moment they are no longer in a position of safety.
Tended’s Wearable adds an extra layer of protection for workers, giving them peace of mind when working near open lines and letting them get on with the important tasks at hand.
Jules is our Head of Behavioural Science and has played an instrumental role in creating Tended’s solution, placing human factors and psychology at the forefront of our product design. Recognising the role of human error in occupational accidents, the Wearable’s alerts are designed to nudge workers into safer behaviours, helping to promote safer decisions and actions in high-risk industries.
Throughout the deployment process, Jules has been on hand to support AmcoGiffen’s trackside teams every step of the way, helping to ensure successful workforce adoption and engagement.
Tended’s solution can be set up in minutes. In just a few clicks, you can have geofence zones mapped out and Wearables ready to deploy onsite, with the ability to make quick changes to your site whenever necessary.
