A State DOT prevented a potential fatality on a jobsite by leveraging innovation to connect the field to the office.

Safety is always the priority but on a busy jobsite, even the most well-trained and vigilant inspector can overlook a dangerous safety infraction without realizing it. This makes the need for construction safety products that make up a complete advanced digital construction management system essential on today’s jobsites.  When a contractor failed to implement proper trench safety it had nearly fatal consequences. In this case, due to the depth of the trench, trench safety measures were required to either support the sides of the excavation through the use of a trench box or by cutting back (sloping) the edges of the trench to diminish the likelihood of collapse.
Trenching and Excavation Safety OSHA

Trenching and excavation work presents serious hazards to all workers involved. Cave-ins pose the greatest risk and are more likely than some other excavation-related incidents to result in worker fatalities. One cubic yard of soil can weigh as much as a car. An unprotected trench can be an early grave. Employers must ensure that workers enter trenches only after adequate protections are in place to address cave-in hazards.

Thankfully, this State DOT had invested in innovative technology that allowed the contractor’s oversight to be identified by a headquarters’ level engineer, reviewing project progress from their office 250 miles away from the jobsite. Thanks to their ability to spot the issue in near-real time, the engineer was able to connect with the P.E. and inspector who advised the contractor to immediately remedy the issue.

Seeing the safety infraction, I immediately shared the observation from HeadLight and advised corrective action, preventing a potential accident and costly claim.

– Area Engineer, State DOT HQ

 

HeadLight is an investment in accident prevention when used as an integral part of a construction management program.

The detailed visual documentation that the inspector was able to quickly produce through the use of HeadLight created a real-time view into the jobsite that allowed an extra set of eyes—and experience—on the project. Each member of the project team from the inspector and P.E. to stakeholders at higher levels could observe the project through a lens of rich media observations rather than subjective written notes. This allowed them to easily share indisputable facts with the contractor in demand for a fast resolution of the safety violations and potentially saving a life through the effort.

HeadLight is Visual-Based Inspection Technology for Infrastructure Construction

Learn how Owners, Construction Managers, and Inspectors use HeadLight to improve collaboration and project delivery.


Request a demo