Onwave was fortunate enough to be invited to present to the London Heathrow team as part of their Lift Off Programme.
Lift Off is a highly regarded programme that gives SME businesses a chance to present their products and services to a panel of representatives from the Heathrow senior management team. You can find out more about ‘Lift Off’ at Lift Off – Heathrow (competefor.com)
Following a successful presentation, it was identified that using OWL geofencing devices and the OWL platform could be used on site to improve situational awareness of workers, to help mitigate people/plant interface risk and to provide informative behavioural safety data.
Benefits
- Improved situational awareness
- Better understanding of safety behaviours
- Mitigation of people/plant interface risk
- Identify underutilised plant to remove or re-allocate.
Why understanding behaviour on site is important
When contractors are undertaking airside works on the runway, they have limited time to complete tasks, as they must work when the runway is not being used for take-off and landing. This gives the team a restricted time each night to work, and therefore tight project deadlines that cannot be extended without a knock-on impact to flights.
The runway also must be left clear at the end of each shift to mitigate the risk of potential damage to aircraft from foreign object debris.
The OWL pilot
The first stage of this pilot was to work with Volker Fitzpatrick who were undertaking a runway resurfacing project to benchmark and understand behaviour. The OWL devices were not set to alert wearers, instead to record movements of people and plant across the project areas.
The aim of the pilot was to provide a benchmark for behaviour, understand unsafe patterns, and to identify better ways of working. Additionally, the pilot project would look at plant and equipment usage to realise potential cost savings by identifying underutilised plant or improved vehicle routing and logistics.
The project in numbers
60+
People on site
20
OWL Plus Devices
120m
Runway covered each shift
Behavioural change throughout the trial
With the implementation of OWL, the Volker team were able to monitor their progress in real time, visually tracking each work area during their shifts. This capability not only improved efficiency but also provided valuable data on active and stationary times for plant.
As the trial progressed, noticeable improvements in operator and worker behaviour began to emerge. Plant operators became more mindful of pedestrian routes, prioritising safety and reducing potential risks. Plant operators consistently utilised designated parking areas, ensuring that equipment was stored in safe and appropriate locations.
For the Volker project management team, OWL offered enhanced oversight and control. They could accurately identify the exact times when plant left the runway and returned to the compound, providing clear and actionable insights into operational timelines. This level of detail allowed managers to streamline workflows and address inefficiencies promptly.
Within just a few days of the trial’s commencement, workers demonstrated increased awareness of pedestrian routes, actively avoiding potential hazards. Plant operators also became increasingly proactive, adhering to road use guidelines and optimising their movements to align with safety and project objectives.
An Award-winning OWL trial
One of Heathrow airport’s core values is Keeping Everyone Safe:
Caring for ourselves and one another, so that we feel safe, secure and well and empowered to speak up, across all settings and activities. We notice and care and act with consideration for others, ourselves, Heathrow and the community.
Both Volker Fitzpatrick and Onwave received awards at the 2024 Heathrow Business Summit for their work with Heathrow.
Onwave received the award for thriving in a strategic capital programme trial, delivering exceptional value with collaboration and safety at the forefront for our trials of OWL Geofencing.
Volker Fitzpatrick received an award for supply chain collaboration and delivering innovative trials in Health & Safety and Sustainability, highlighting how we can improve together every day.
Testimonial from Volker Fitzpatrick
“Working at Heathrow, we face tight deadlines, complex machinery, and multiple disciplines operating in close proximity. Using OWL has been invaluable in helping us monitor site behaviour, providing clear insights into both positive and negative practices.
The OWL team has been fantastic to work with—responsive, proactive, and even available during night shifts to ensure we maximise the benefits of the geofencing wearables.”
