TECHNOLOGY
Aecon ’ s focus on safety . Everything Aecon does – with regard to IT or otherwise – concentrates on the safety and security of its employees as a core value . “ Our people and getting them home safely to their families is our number one priority . From a business perspective , we don ’ t win business if we have a poor safety record ,” says Templeton .
As a result , Aecon has implemented technology to support this value .
“ Generally , in the construction industry , it can be difficult to track safety certifications or competencies ,” Templeton explains . “ Rather than asking employees to recomplete certifications as they move to different roles or employers , we use a tool called Success Factors that tracks the safety records of all employees , ensuring managers do not need to put certain employees through the safety regiment all over again .”
This ensures workers do not waste time unnecessary doubling up on training , instead earning their certification in a timely manner so foremen can be assured of an employee ’ s suitability . For
Templeton , technology at Aecon is all about making construction environments a better , safer , and more efficient place to be .
“ It ’ s exciting to me , especially from a technology point of view . We ’ ve looked at driving business value internally . How do we improve the way we work ? How do we improve the way we are seen externally to our business clients ? How can we provide value to them using technology ?
“ There are areas in which we can track underground fibre using augmented reality , or use 360-degree cameras in our utility vehicles to start tracking the degradation of utility poles on the side of the road without the actual employee having to analyse it . There are tracking and inspection within the utility tools and software that we ’ re looking at , and that drives straight down to the bottom line – not just to Aecon , but to our customer .” This level of digitalisation is just one example of Aecon pushing value beyond its own business units and caring for workers . On-site , staff enjoy all the advantages of IT , connecting them to equipment and vehicles for
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