How SPL Powerlines used geofencing to help drive improvements to project safety and efficiency in Scotland
Background
SPL Powerlines is committed to prioritising worksite safety and improving operational efficiency, however the rail industry faces persistent challenges delivering these.
Track workers are at risk of losing situational awareness, inadvertently leaving designated safe work zones, or accessing infrastructure before line blocks/possessions are granted, increasing the risk of near misses and incidents. Limited, real-time visibility of onsite operations increases risks of incorrect placement of protection equipment, points run-throughs, and equipment being left on the line after works are completed.
Solution
Tended’s geofencing technologies, which are fully endorsed by Network Rail, are helping to drive safety and efficiency improvements in rail. To showcase the value that geofencing technology could bring to SPL Powerlines, Tended’s solution was introduced across three sites covering Haymarket, Lennymuir, and East Kilbride.
Tended worked closely with the planning and track teams to implement geofencing. The key objectives were to demonstrate how the product can bring safety enhancements to the management and co-ordination of on-track plant (OTP), worksite marker boards (WSMBs) and controllers of site safety (COSSs) on track, while also driving improvements to worksite efficiency.
This involved a phased approach to cover different use cases and provide SPL Powerlines with:
Real-time visibility of OTP and trolley locations with device distance to geofence boundaries and alerts for speeding.
The ability to view the location of WSMB, compare live and planned locations and prevent marker board placement irregularities.
Enhanced safety for COSSs, with device alerts to help ensure they and their workgroups didn’t access the infrastructure early, used correct access points, and remained in safe working zones
Over 30 people were involved across the three sites, including Planners, Engineering Supervisors and Assistants (ESs, ESAs), Machine Controllers/Operators (MCs/MOs), and COSSs. Each participant played a key role in providing feedback on the technology’s usability and effectiveness.
Site setup and access
Geofences were drawn within the Tended Dashboard to represent authorised access points and safe work areas within the possessions. Asset icons were used to pinpoint the exact, intended location of WSMBs in line with the safe work pack, as well as any points within the possessions.
ESs were then able to check that all OTP was safely within the access point before the worksite was set live. The ESs could compare the live location of WSMBs onsite with planned locations to check they had been placed in the correct location (and also removed when works were completed).
Tended's system helped plan out the worksite and pinpoint the exact location of critical assets
During the works
By giving each plant an icon and ID on the Dashboard, the ES could view their live location and movements onsite. This enabled them to check for any unsafe events, such as plant exiting the safe work zone or on-tracking on the incorrect line. Tended’s RAG view also supported this by displaying information such as the device’s speed, closest ELR, and distance to nearest geofence edge so that appropriate steps could be taken.
Devices were allocated to COSSs to support their safety and to help ensure they and their workgroups were in the right locations at the right time. Dashboard alerts were triggered to the ES if these devices left the geofenced safe zone, with device alerts given to the COSSs to help them regain situational awareness and move back into the safe working zone.
Assets could be monitored in real time, helping to ensure OTP and OTM were moving around safely onsite
After works were completed
Once works were completed, the ESs were able to check the Dashboard’s Live Map View to check that all plant and equipment was off the tracks and back in the access point. Stopping a worksite on the Dashboard (by deactivating the geofence) when there was still a geotagged asset onsite created an alert to the ES.
Tended's Dashboard shows a live view of all equipment onsite, supporting the line clear verification process
Engaging with teams throughout
Tended’s behavioural science team was engaged from the start of the implementation to support employee engagement and understanding of why the technology was being introduced. This helped individuals feel confident in the technology and gain a clear understanding of the reasons SPL Powerlines were introducing geofencing as a new safety initiative in Scotland.
Tended has continued to provide ongoing support to help ensure teams are comfortable with the technology and they develop the skills and understanding for it to become successfully embedded into SPL Powerlines’ business-as-usual operations. This included providing fuller briefings to a handful of 'Geofencing Champions', so they could support their colleagues to build the habits of using geofencing technologies regularly. Constructive feedback and comments about geofencing showed there is broad support for the technology to improve personal safety and ways of working. In the words of one worker, it’s a “fantastic new initiative that will benefit worksite safety and assist in visualisation of the site massively in the railway infrastructure.”
Results
The implementation of Tended’s geofencing technology has supported SPL Powerline’s operations through improved safety and overall project efficiency in a number of ways, including:
Improved track worker safety - device alerts helped track workers who had lost situational awareness
Reduced risk of project delays - WSMBs were placed correctly and removed efficiently at the start and end of shifts
Improved site monitoring - the RAG view and the Live Map view gave ESs enhanced visibility over the entire worksite(s) on one tablet screen
Reduced risk of OTP collisions and infrastructure damage - OTP that was exceeding speed limits were highlighted in the Dashboard’s RAG view, prompting action; and RRVs were easily monitored as they approached points to reduce the risk of points run throughs.
These successes from SPL Powerlines’ projects have evidenced the value from implementing geofencing into their working processes and have laid a foundation for full scale deployment across the region.
Lee Pounder, Regional Director of Scotland, SPL Powerlines said:
“It’s been great to see some real results from the use of Tended’s geofencing technology in Scotland. The real-time data and insights we obtain through the system empowers our teams to stay safe and make informed decisions quickly, significantly reducing potential hazards while also streamlining our operations. It’s a new approach to safety and how sites are managed across projects and one I see making a huge impact on setting new standards in rail.”
