Month: August 2015

Martin Port, the UK founder of Masternaut, on the latest developments in the telematics market and his new venture, BigChange.

The UK market has grown significantly over the last 20 years. I would estimate 70% of commercial fleets have telematics installed. The UK market is the most advanced and competitive in the world.

What is the company’s main fleet offering?

BigChange provides an all-in-one system for transport, service & sales management called JobWatch. The JobWatch system helps companies plan, manage, schedule and track their mobile workforce. It works out of the box with little or no configuration required.

The system essentially offers three systems in one: a rich web-based back office app features Fleet & Resource Management, Job Scheduling, CRM & Financial, Health & Safety Compliance, Alerting and Mapping. The JobWatch Mobile App works on any Android phone or tablet supplied and, supported by BigChange, the app helps get rid of all the paper and manual processes.

How has your experience at Masternaut helped in launching BigChange?

At Masternaut we offered three systems that worked mostly independently and had a light integration between the three. These were Masternaut Vehicle Tracking, ThreeX mobile software and Microsoft CRM for the back office. The customer also purchased separate handheld computer hardware.

Essentially the systems were complex and expensive to maintain and implementation involved traditional professional services at an extra cost. While I owned Masternaut I always put a great emphasis on customer service and that was a key part of the success until I sold the company in 2011 – I never lost a customer while I owned the company.

When I sold Masternaut finally in 2011, I decided I wanted to research the market for a year. I visited over 70 telematics companies across Europe and what I realised is you could link together all the elements and build a system from the ground up, creating one system called JobWatch.

How is the UK fleet telematics market evolving?

The UK market has grown significantly over the last 20 years. I would estimate 70% of commercial fleets have telematics installed. The UK market is the most advanced and competitive in the world. The real game changer to the volume growth has been high fuel costs, accidents and the sharp reduction in hardware costs including a reduction in the cost of data. I would estimate prices have dropped by £30 a month per vehicle from £45 a month in the late 90’s to £15 a month per vehicle today. The installation cost is now more expensive than the manufacturing cost of the hardware.

Telematics is now a mature market in the UK. The real opportunity is next-generation systems like JobWatch. You can buy the complete JobWatch system including vehicle tracking and the tablet computer for £49.95 per month, which shows you the enormous amount of value that can be gained from a small monthly cost.

How can fleets overcome issues involved with ‘data overload’ and legal issues of implementing telematics?

Companies now want integration of GPS data with operational activity. Organisations need to make sense of the data and understand how improvements can be made so managers, drivers and engineers that operate in the field can boost service, safety and growth.

Big Data reporting that compares the optimised plan with actual workforce activity can create powerful financial benefits. But leaders have to demand managers to present the data on weekly, monthly and quarterly bases, linked to sales activity and costs to make the most of the information. Only by continually improving and identifying the opportunities can all the benefits sold by telematics companies be achieved. That is exactly what JobWatch delivers and when you have much more of a holistic focus then the whole idea of ‘Big Brother’ disappears.

 Cardinus Risk Management explain why safety comes first with JobWatch powered by BigChange.

Below is the health and safety document drawn up by Cardinus Risk Management documenting how JobWatch safeguards businesses by ensuring all health and safety information are stored on their mobile devices and much more.

Managing health and safety is a serious business. There is often however a tendency to create separation between such an important subject and a company’s core organisation; health and safety roles, departments and policies are regularly quite divorced from the organisation’s central business or services. This isolated treatment has generated widespread negativity in attitudes toward health and safety professionals and initiatives. Too often the claim is made that the job gets done despite the efforts of health and safety.

The healthier perception is that jobs are carried out safely and efficiently through the integration of good practice and compliance in to all of the organisation’s systems. It is vital to have a robust safety management system in place that provides good evidentiary support, and to ensure that employees embrace a positive safety culture while following safety policies and procedures.

It has long been problematic for organisations to provide an up-to-date system for employees that adequately addresses all risks and allows them to record any changes, communication, briefings or incidents. It has also been difficult to evidence that a risk assessment has been viewed and, where necessary, amended to address the related issues. Such tasks are however essential, not least because any changes in a job’s circumstances (such as weather, road conditions or access) must be taken into consideration.

These issues are now no longer a problem thanks to a new generation of digital process management and monitoring systems, enabling the seamless integration of health and safety processes into the running of businesses. By building our safety procedures into these systems and harnessing their monitoring power, feedback and communication features, we can be confident that we are always working as safely as possible.

One such system is JobWatch powered by BigChange, a unique and complete package facilitating the planning, scheduling and management of mobile workforces. JobWatch replaces manual planning and paperwork, providing businesses with an intuitive and easy way to keep the office and mobile teams in total synchronisation. Office-based teams access JobWatch from any web browser, while mobile workers can instantly view everything they need using the BigChange mobile computer or app. In order to maintain safety, drivers cannot operate the computer while their vehicle is in motion.

JobWatch was created with safety and duty of care very much in mind, embedding health and safety into the activities it monitors and reports upon. It provides organisations and their management with evidence of their efficient health and safety management by identifying risks, providing effective controls (which are then communicated and monitored), and ensuring that any issues are dealt with.

Prior to the start of any job or project, relevant information such as the plan, schedule, work permits and schematics are uploaded to the JobWatch system, along with health and safety information. Some health and safety documents will be standard and applied to a wide range of activities, whereas others will be unique to the project, drawn up specifically for the task by the team leader.

View Full PDF Health & Safety Document Here

How It Works

Some of the documents that can be uploaded to JobWatch and accessed by employees include cable plans, risk assessments, work instructions, safety briefings, work permits, COSHH assessments and step-by-step job guides. Employees can access specific safety documents, complete inspections and deliver or receive safety briefings from any JobWatch computer, and the system enables them to evidence that they have done so.

If a risk assessment has been drawn up for a task, all employees involved will use the JobWatch system to confirm that they have read and understood it, ensuring that the workplace is safe and all necessary controls are in place. Risk assessments can also be altered and re-briefed by team members, and the system records the exact time that documents are viewed and comments are made. This is integral to the general briefing of the task, not separate to it, and provides safety training and communication while sharing responsibility for safety with all employees.

Benefits

JobWatch has enormous health and safety benefits. It gives employees the responsibility of evidencing that they have read relevant safety information, and enables them to report on the work that they have carried out in the field (along with any issues encountered) quickly and efficiently.

JobWatch’s proactive monitoring system allows specific inspections to be completed and non-conformances to be raised and resolved. The system thereby maintains good progress, as workflow is mandated to ensure that checks, inspections, work and driving are all carried out in the correct order.

It can also have a positive impact on a company’s insurance claims profile. JobWatch computers have an inbuilt camera, which promotes claim defensibility by allowing photos to be attached to job cards. An engineering team working with underground cables, for example, could attach photos of any cables that are identified as not contained on drawings provided by the owner, shallow cables or cables in concrete. JobWatch can also be used to provide a trend analysis of accidents, damages, inspections, non-conformances and briefings, helping to show continual improvement.

The system also allows you to maintain up-todate vehicle records (including trailers, plant equipment or other assets), detailing planned and unplanned services, defects, and dates of maintenance activities such as MOTs. If any maintenance dates are exceeded, JobWatch produces alerts.

JobWatch records evidence of a proactive safety management system and servicing policy, helping to improve health and safety standards and to protect both employees and the organisation itself. The comprehensive alerting system protects drivers by confirming time and attendance, and monitoring lone workers during unsociable hours.

JobWatch also enables the recording and signing of daily employees briefings. In addition to this, safety messages (such as information regarding an accident elsewhere in the organisation and the resulting updated safety instructions) can be sent immediately to both office and mobile workers. These can be set up to record the time and date at which the messages were read and signed.

The flexible system provides a library of documents and assessments, which can be altered to make them specific to the organisation, the work being undertaken and the risks being addressed. It even allows bespoke inspections to be developed and instantly uploaded for employees to follow or complete. All activity can be logged, tracked and reviewed.

Improving behaviour and communication

JobWatch helps organisations track and improve employee activity. If an incident occurs that requires a change in procedures, real-time alerts can be sent to all employees. These can even be set to require all relevant employees to acknowledge receipt.

Driving behaviour is also recorded and analysed, which can be used to proactively engage employees and to improve the quality and safety of driving by highlighting areas for improvement. Road speed data is specific to vehicle type to ensure safety and legality, and the JobWatch scheduler reduces the temptation for drivers to speed by minimising the chance that vehicles will be running late.

JobWatch also allows drivers to record incidents and near misses, so that the appropriate parties are immediately informed and can, where required, take swift action. Photographic evidence is logged with a time and date, providing clear information for any potential claims.

A System that Greatly Enhances Safety Management

The JobWatch system will greatly enhance any organisation’s safety management, providing ready access to documentation, regular updates and instant communication between work teams.

One of the greatest risks in any workplace is how instructions and requirements relating to safety procedures and risk assessments are communicated to employees. Organisations must adequately review and correct any issues, and communicate updates after accidents or changes in procedures. They must also have a reliable way of recording evidence that these health and safety procedures are being followed, and that such monitoring is taking place. JobWatch provides a simple and comprehensive solution to all such health and safety considerations, enabling the management of safety as well as promoting a positive employees attitude towards the subject. The system involves all employees (and sub-contractors) in reviewing and acknowledging safety, as well as in making decisions where necessary.

With new Corporate Manslaughter and sentencing guidelines in place, it is essential that you can evidence that employees are following all safety procedures. This is immensely difficult to ensure, and it is easy to prosecute after an accident if it can be proven that employees have not followed safety procedures. JobWatch records this evidence by requiring employees to view necessary procedures, acknowledge that they have understood them, and complete safety inspections.

We would strongly recommend this system for all work places. It is both easy-to-use and thorough, and helps to protect employees and managers. JobWatch reduces the risk of workplace accidents and the potential of costly insurance claims, giving your company piece of mind that every effort is being made to maintain safety.

Examples

Digging gang-laying cable

On arrival the team photograph the area of work, identifying any initial issues to help prevent any future claims, such as alleged damage to property; an already damaged wall beside an area of excavation, for example, can be easily detailed with a time and date stamp and sent to the project file, disproving any potential claims.

The team leader then accesses the project safety plan, including copies of the cable plans, site risk assessment and project induction briefing, allowing them to relay any necessary information and images to the team. Any required changes to the risk assessment can be recorded (along with the time and date of the changes), making the assessment specific to the job and evidencing a proactive approach to health and safety.

All team members then sign to confirm that they have received the induction briefing and have viewed any other job instructions or safety guidance. The system automatically records the time and date at which the documents were viewed. The team leader can even photograph the fact that all employees have received and are wearing all necessary PPE, and that signs and barriers have been placed correctly.

A job or site-specific pre-start inspection is then completed, taking into account both technical and safety considerations, and including a conditional set of questions that must be completed before the work begins.

Further inspections are carried out at specific points during the excavation, which are recorded by JobWatch and added to the job file with time and date stamps. Any issues identified can be logged along with any required corrective action, providing further evidence of proactive health and safety management.

Any accidents or damages that occur during the job can be photographed and detailed with a time and date stamp. This allows the safety department to view evidence of incidents quickly and decide upon any necessary action or advice. If the digging team damage any shallow cables that are not on the cable plans, photographs can be taken of the cable depth, which can be compared with the plans on the system.

Building Maintenance – Plumbing

At the start of the day, the plumber logs on to JobWatch and is prompted to complete their time sheet and pre-use vehicle checks. On arrival to site, the plumber views specific job instructions and safety guidance. The system automatically records the time and date at which the documents are viewed. Photographs can be taken of the problem and area of work to help prevent or refute any potential claims from residents for alleged damage to the property, such as water damage or broken fixtures and fittings.

A pre-start inspection specific to the job is then be completed, detailing the nature of the problem, any hazards or safety risks at the property, and any corrective actions required. A further inspection is recorded when the job is completed. Any issues identified can be logged with any remedial action taken and parts used.

In summary, JobWatch powered by BigChange includes:

Evidence of a proactive safety management system, helping to improve the general safety culture of any organisation and avoid costly insurance claims. Photographs can be saved to project files, and the communication of incidents is recorded

A choice of language settings, making the system accessible for non-English speaking employees

Road Transport – Delivery

At the start of the day, the driver logs on to JobWatch and is prompted to complete his time sheet and pre-use vehicle checks. These checks for vehicle roadworthiness and security of the load are automatically recorded and stored in accordance with Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency requirements. Any defects can be recorded along with time and date-stamped photographs.

Appropriate risk assessments and safety plans are included in the job information, as well as any documentation required for dangerous goods. Any required inspections are completed and recorded on JobWatch, and photographs are taken before a journey is undertaken.

Any defects are immediately reported to the appropriate parties through the system, allowing quick and efficient resolution. JobWatch furthermore integrates with fleet MOT and servicing compliance to prove that the highest levels of care are taken.

When the journey begins, driving behaviour is monitored and recorded. Alerts can be sent to the back office if dangerous driving incidents occur, ensuring that the driver is safe and well monitored at all times. The satellite navigation (car, van of truck) built into JobWatch alerts the driver about road speeds, narrow roads and low bridges, avoiding route problems.

Upon arrival at the collection or delivery location, a load-specific safety plan is available and a health and safety checklist is completed with a time and date stamp. JobWatch can also record POD signature capture, as well as evidentiary photos.