Triax Technologies, Inc.: Automated Workforce, Equipment and Safety Monitoring for Construction

Chad Hollingsworth, Co-Founder & CEO

A construction site, with all its sophisticated equipment, is still one of the most chaotic and manual work environments; workers rely on paper and pen for many essential tasks like time and attendance, which leads to inefficient labor productivity and lagging information. In addition, achieving reliable connectivity on the jobsite—and the visibility that comes with it—is often plagued by inadequate power supply or impractical solutions for the construction industry. “Our proprietary mesh network serves as the backbone for construction sites, paving the way for powerful data sets on workers, equipment, and the physical site environment. This leads to a more effective, cost-efficient and data-driven work environment and project management,” emphasizes Chad Hollingsworth, Co-founder and CEO of Triax Technologies. The company deploys its mesh Spot-r network hardware at commercial construction sites, which establishes a localized field of communication that collects real-time data on workers and equipment wearing Spot-r devices and working within that specifically defined area.

The origin of Triax Technologies

Although it accounts for up to 10 percent of the global GDP, the construction industry is one of the least digitized sectors, in part because it hasn’t gotten the same attention from technology providers as other industries. As a company focused on using intelligent technology and real-time data to build safer and more efficiently, Triax decided to take the baton forward towards achieving the much-anticipated digitization of the construction space. With real-time workforce analytics and equipment tracking data, Triax’s Spot-r system offers a suite of benefits and use cases.

Consider insurance, for example, one of the pillars supporting the construction sector. Most commercial, industrial, and infrastructure projects consume a considerable amount of financial resources due to the risks and uncertainties associated with construction sites and activities. Today, Triax’s wireless communication protocol at the jobsite collects valuable, previously unavailable field data via its sensor technology. The system automatically badges workers in-and-out of the site, provides their real-time location, and tracks the location and utilization of tagged equipment. In addition, by detecting slip, trip, or fall events, the system serves as a vital safety structure that can help improve response time and prevent further injuries.

Our proprietary mesh network serves as the backbone for construction sites, paving the way for newer data sets on workers, equipment, and the environment

All this data helps insurers price policies, mitigate risks, and help prevent insurance losses—a benefit for everyone involved in the industry.

Overcoming traditional technology hurdles

Owing to its flexibility, Spot-r sensors are deployable at nearly any construction site—one of the toughest physical work environments imaginable. The proprietary network maintains an advantage over wireless internet, which fails to penetrate through thick walls and rugged surfaces and requires much more hardware.

With the Spot-r system, workers are given a Spot-r Clip during their site-specific safety orientation programs. By wearing the device on their waist belt, when workers enter the localized field of connectivity, they are badged in-and-out of the jobsite automatically, streamlining time and attendance. Traditionally, a worker would have had to sign-in at the entrance or with the supervisor at the start of his or her shift, a time-consuming process that can lead to error-prone paper reports that must also be transferred to computer spreadsheets. Triax has effectively channeled the data obtained from sensors and tags into usable workforce analytics to improve the safety measures employed at a particular site.

Synchronizing with the network, Cloud, and custom Spot-r dashboard, the wearable devices are used to monitor and locate workers. In addition, the Spot-r EquipTag provides the real-time location of equipment—whether it is indoors or outdoors—as well as active time on the job. By working with the Spot-r Clip information, which includes worker certification, the equipment sensors send unknown or unauthorized equipment operator alerts, greatly enhancing the visibility of the project operations and safety.

The recently announced Spot-r EvacTag streamlines and strengthens current evacuation procedures in the hour of need with a high-volume, highly visual alarm that works even amongst language barriers.

Partnerships

In August 2017, Triax released a two-way integration with Procore OS, which eliminates manual double-entry of data and automatically sends accurate Spot-r worksite data, including man hours and safety incidents, into Procore project management software for accidents, timecards, manpower and daily construction reports. In October, the system won a 2017 Innovation Award from Business Insurance magazine for its cutting-edge approach to helping risk managers better understand and manage construction site risks. And in November 2017, Triax and Autodesk announced a Spot-r integration with BIM 360, which allows Spot-r users to view the current location of workers on 3D BIM (Building Information Modeling) models.

Milestones, of the past and the future

Triax formally launched the Spot-r system in early 2017 and soon was recognized as forerunners in the domain, attracting several large national contractors within a short span of time. With the launch of the Spot-r EquipTag and EvacTag, the company has remained agile in its strides towards delivering the first truly connected construction site and not only strengthens safety measures but productivity and efficiency ones as well. www.triaxtec.com