Innovation in the field: securing measurements with a contactless solution

Innovation born in the field

At ETF, innovation does not come solely from the design office: it emerges directly from the field, driven by employees who experience the constraints of the construction site on a daily basis. It was in this spirit that, last November, ETF teams took part in the innovation competition organised by VINCI Construction’s Networks Division in France.

The aim of the competition was to encourage practical ideas for improving safety, performance, the environment and operational efficiency.

The result: out of a total of 280 projects submitted, 83 were submitted by ETF, illustrating our strong culture of collaborative innovation.

Focus on the ‘Measurement outside the danger zone’ project

Among the winning ETF projects, the one led by Laxsan Sandrauthaiam, an apprentice engineer, particularly caught the attention of the judges: ‘Measurement outside the danger zone’: a simple, effective solution focused on the safety of workers.

The initial observation

On railway construction sites, certain measurement operations are carried out in close proximity to moving machinery, exposing operators to the risk of accidents and uncomfortable working positions.

The solution implemented

To address this issue, Laxsan and his team developed a contactless measurement system, combined with an internal digital interface, which allows:

• Remote measurements to be taken outside the danger zone
• Work to be carried out standing up, reducing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
• Data to be processed in real time for better management

The result: a significant improvement in safety and working conditions, with a direct impact on site performance.

Next step: towards industrialisation

The project does not stop there. It is now being transposed to Android to make it accessible on smartphones, and a new version is in the pipeline.

ETF, a company where innovation is everyone’s business

This project illustrates one of the pillars of ETF’s culture: listening to the field and valuing individual initiatives, whether they come from a site manager, a site supervisor or an apprentice.