2018 was a watershed year for the construction industry, Triax Technologies, and our Spot-r jobsite platform, and across project sites, conference rooms, and industry events, we saw technology move from a few early adopters to a growing majority. Join us as we take a look back at our most popular blog posts and news articles from 2018.
1. What is your EMR or Experience Modification Rating?
Contractors have options for improving (i.e. reducing) their EMR and reducing their premiums, starting with effective safety training, risk and hazard identification, and on-going safety discussions. The rise of safety technologies is also helping contractors stay ahead of the curve by providing standard, digital information on incidents on a jobsite.
2. Why Modular Construction Will Take Off in 2018
“Triax Technologies is bringing critical, next-generation resource visibility to the jobsite. By including Spot-r in our rental offering, we are helping our customers improve safety, make better decisions about equipment usage, and work more efficiently while reducing overall costs.” – Matthew Flannery, president, United Rentals
Check out this bonus news round-up: Triax and United Rentals Partner to Bring Data-Driven Innovation
4. 2018’s Skilled Labor Shortage: Six Months In
It is clear that today’s construction companies must change the way they operate to attract – and retain – the next generation of construction workers. Fortunately, companies are responding by embracing innovation as a core company culture and are adopting new IoT-enabled technologies to optimize processes, identify new opportunities for efficiency and data-driven insights, and support the next generation of workers.
And because this is a story that shows no signs of slowing down, check out our special two-part series focusing on the root causes and consequences of the skilled labor shortage and how technology and innovation can be used to bridge the gap.
5. Construction Safety Innovations Happening in 2018
The proliferation of sensors and drones, in particular, makes it easier and more affordable for contractors to identify hazards, respond to issues, and reduce the risk of compounding injuries.
Travelers will review data collected from a variety of Triax’s Spot-r IoT devices, including those being used at a 60,000-square-foot, six-floor Gilbane construction site in New York City over 20 months. More Travelers coverage here.
Keeping track of workers is critical on construction sites, and Spot-r is making that task much easier. The wearable system, developed by Triax Technologies Inc. in Norwalk, Connecticut, is a 2017 Business Insurance Innovation Awards winner.
The new integration uses the Spot-r network to collect and transmit floor- and zone-based location information from tools and assets tagged with the Bluehound system. This extends the range of the cloud-based asset management and tracking solution and provides more relevant data, including worker proximity to tools and equipment. With comprehensive visibility into resource location and utilization, contractors can minimize resource downtime, enhance productivity, and help prevent cost overruns, to ultimately boost profitability.
9. Why Connected Jobsites are the Future of Construction
Wearable technology that connects workers to the jobsite and the jobsite to key personnel provides unprecedented visibility that saves time, improves communication, increases transparency and accountability, and enhances safety. If you don’t know who is on your jobsite and where they’re located, how can you provide aid if it’s necessary?
10. Smarter with Spot-r: Making Jobsite Evacuations More Efficient and Effective
While there is no substitute for safety, manually blowing an air horn on each floor is an inefficient, ineffective way to conduct an evacuation whether in a simulated environment or the real-world. One general contractor we work with, for example, requires evacuation drills to be practiced every three months. On a 24-month, 25-story project with 500 daily workers, that means that roughly 2,500 total man hours are devoted to practicing jobsite evacuations. With a self-reported wage of $60/hour, that means roughly $150,000 in labor costs are going towards evacuation drills.
