1 (844) 303-5123 [email protected]

Washington DC Contractors Add RFID Tags to Worker’s Hard Hats to Track Whereabouts

construction siteconstruction site

Tracking employees instantaneously is a dream scenario for employers.  It gives them tons of data to analyze to determine where money can be saved and where resources can be placed to be most efficient.  The struggle is convincing the employees that tracking their every move is not going to get them in trouble or fired. There’s a balance in there somewhere and that’s the challenge facing both employers and tech companies right now.

Around 20 Washington D.C. area contractors are currently giving a new type of employee tracking device a try, according to the DCist. . The software, called Eyrus, requires that unique RFID tags be placed on the hard hats of the workers on site. Sensors placed around the site can then not only monitor employee whereabouts, but can also potentially avoid labor disputes, according to the company. Nicknames and native languages of each worker can also be tracked in case of emergency.

Data gathered by Eyrus can be accessed from any web accessible device anytime. Automated reports of labor hours planned versus actual labor hours expended can be broken down by CSI division, individual company, or tradesperson, Eyrus states. Alerts can also be set up to let employers know if a project is behind schedule or labor hours are out of alignment. In case of emergency, the system will even alert the workers of the need to evacuate and takes an immediate role call of who is on site.

There’s no doubt data is key to the success of any business, but you have to wonder how the system handles hard hats with RFID tags being left on site or apart from the actual worker.  Nevertheless, the benefits to the employer of a system like this seem to outweigh the possible issues.

Full story: Area Developers Putting Bar Codes On Workers To Avoid Construction Delays | DCist

Tracking employees instantaneously is a dream scenario for employers.  It gives them tons of data to analyze to determine where money can be saved and where resources can be placed to be most efficient.  The struggle is convincing the employees that tracking their every move is not going to get them in trouble or fired. There’s a balance in there somewhere and that’s the challenge facing both employers and tech companies right now.

Two of the most critical concepts of construction safety are the ability to see what you’re doing and to also be seen by others around you.  Construction workers rely heavily on their employer providing lighting systems when working in low light conditions, but those systems are not always adequate. 

There’s no doubt that the construction industry is behind when it comes to technology, but things are beginning to change.  In the past few years, our industry has seen millions of dollars poured into new technology, including smartphone apps, advanced construction materials, and advanced safety equipment.  One of the struggles –and perhaps the main struggle- with introducing new technology to the field staff is that many of them have been managing their jobs the same way for a long time.  It can be difficult to convince them to change, especially if they have been successful with their current process.

One of the most challenging issues with modular construction, of any kind, is the sheer size and weight of many of the components that need to be transported and lifted in place once onsite. That presents a specifically tough situation for jobsites that are not easy to get to.  Arup, a design, engineering, and consulting team in the United Kingdom, has developed and successfully implemented what they say is the “world’s first modular glass-fiber, reinforced polymer bridge.” You may remember Arup from their testing of a “living wall” scaffolding cover that we wrote about last year.

The world’s first 3D printed excavator was not the only piece of construction equipment to hold that title at this year’s CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas.  LiuGong, an international construction equipment manufacturer founded in China, also unveiled the world’s first vertical lift wheel loader at the event.

In 2015, Milwaukee released their robust smart tool management platform, ONE-KEY.  The smartphone and web application allows users to not only keep data of their tools spread across different users and jobsites, but it also offers tool customization and tool tracking, for tools that are enabled with ONE-KEY. Earlier this year, the platform got a major upgrade with the release of added tool security, which allow users to hide tools, lock the trigger or footpad, or completely render the tool useless remotely if lost or stolen.

Read on to find out how you can win a free (4) pack of Milwaukee TICK ($99 Value)

Construction apps are popping up all over the place and it’s getting increasingly difficult to determine which ones are right for you personally or right for your business. The truth is, there probably isn’t one application that will meet all of your needs.  Procore, one of the leaders in construction project management software, recognized this issue and decided to do something about it.

Solar roofs are an obviously popular choice for those interested in conserving energy, but traditional panels are extremely clunky and expensive.  Tesla and CEO Elon Musk announced last year that they have solved that issue, which the impending release of Tesla Solar Roof, which look like a traditional roof shingle.