Cappagh Browne embraces technology to cut dangerous driving behaviour by 95%

This article has been taken from the latest Fleet News safety special report Cut Your Risk. It is sponsored by Europcar and Kwik Fit.

A renewed focus on fleet safety following a near-fatal crash involving one of its drivers has led to Cappagh Browne cutting adverse driver behaviour by 95% and speeding events by 17%.

The engineering company, which is headquartered in Enfield, North London, serves 1.5 million wastewater customers across Hampshire, Sussex and Kent on behalf of Southern Water.

It specialises in building new water networks, repairing pipes and cleaning blockages.

A robust safety culture is core to the business’s operations, but at the time of the incident it was struggling to track its fleet of 250 vehicles and reviewing driver behaviour was proving time-consuming to carry out at scale.

The organisation was using telematics and dashcams, but the technology was proving outdated and unreliable.

“We’d have to manually obtain the memory card before we could access any forward-facing footage,” says Matt Reid, head of fleet at Cappagh Browne.

The system was also losing files and offering up inaccurate data, so mapping out safety improvements was proving nigh impossible.

It was at this point that Cappagh Browne appointed Samsara. Following a one-month pilot, Samsara installed its Vehicle Gateway and AI dashcams across the engineering company’s entire fleet.

This gave Cappagh Browne’s operations staff complete visibility into vehicle locations, trip timelines, harsh driving events, idling and recorded video footage. All the data is now automatically uploaded to the cloud.

“As soon as the system registers a risky event, I’m notified for review – it’s seamless,” says Reid.

With insights into how drivers are acting while they’re on the road, Cappagh Browne can review and provide targeted coaching on risky behaviours such as harsh braking, seat belt infringements and the biggest offender: speeding.

“Now, we know where the vehicle is, who is driving it thanks to the AI, and how they’re driving it,” says Reid.

“If there’s an instance where a driver needs coaching, I can pull up the footage, speak to the driver and hold them accountable.”

With Cappagh Browne having access to detailed analytics, tracking and insights into driver behaviour, it began creating an effective safety strategy built on accurate, relevant data.

The team has also started to use the video footage to inform training sessions.

“One week after our first safety session, we had reduced adverse driving behaviours like harsh braking and inattentive driving by 95%,” says Reid.

“It’s all about awareness. Once drivers understood the risks, they were motivated to self-correct unsafe habits themselves.

“Educating drivers on best practice around vehicle idling as well is paying dividends – we’ve already seen a 10% reduction in overall fuel spend.”

As an added incentive, the operations team also launched competitions rewarding the top-performing drivers in each county with prizes.

"Safe driving is the law, but if you can sweeten the deal with a little competition, then everyone will compete to be the best,” says Reid.

Investment in safe vehicles

Safety technology was also high on the must-have list when it last year invested £2.2 million to expand its vehicle and plant equipment fleet, adding 32 specialised vehicles.

These included a state-of-the-art eight-wheeled combi recycling HGV, a specialist CCTV van, a four-wheeler city flex, 14 new jetting vehicles, eight new vans, crane lorries, transit tippers and supervisor vehicles.

The new vehicles also offer environmental benefits for the organisation. For example, the recycling HGV – which uses a high-pressure stream of water to clean and dislodge blockages in drain and sewer pipes – uses a process in which the jetting water is continuously recycled, offering significant savings on water and fuel by minimising the need to transport process water.

Cappagh Browne’s CCTV van allows engineers to inspect a sewer line from all angles, and they can use the vehicle’s on-site mobile office to review the footage there and then.

This allows engineers to make quick and decisive decisions regarding the network of pipes underground, and the best course of action to get the job done quickly.

The company has also installed progressive fuelling stations (F-Pods) in all its yards across the south of England, providing convenient access for its operations.

Refuelling times for service vehicles have been substantially reduced, allowing for more streamlined operations and improved productivity.

The new fuel systems are also designed to minimise environmental impacts by reducing fuel waste and emissions.

Staff welfare

Reid says emphasising and prioritising safety not only reinforces Cappagh Browne’s commitment to a robust safety culture, but also underscores its core value of prioritising the well-being of its employees.

“Our teams attend call-outs in all weathers and sometimes through the night – which is why many of our new vehicles are also fitted out with specialised lights and microwaves, kettles, washing facilities, sanitising stations, as well as the technology to solve the problem,” he adds.

Many of these jobs are in remote and 
disconnected sites, where exposure to hazardous gases is a concern, making real-time safety monitoring important.

To do this, it has recently introduced the Altair IO 4 connected gas detector, which uses cellular connectivity to transmit information to Cappagh Browne’s IT systems, allowing supervisors to monitor events.

“Now, we’re able to use real-time data to establish who to use on a particular job because we can see what exposure they’ve had over the past week,” says Reid.

“We can then track them safely within the seven-day period to make sure they don’t exceed their exposure limit.”

Since introducing the detector, Cappagh Browne has not experienced any safety alarms, but an 
engineer was able to use the inbuilt alarm to call for help.

“We had an instance where a guy became 
locked out of his vehicle and didn’t have his phone on him,” says Reid.

“He pushed the alarm button to call for help and we were able to get a second set of keys over to him to unlock the vehicle and get him on the road again.”

Reid says Cappagh Browne’s emphasis on a culture where every employee feels secure, valued and motivated is central to maintaining a positive workplace atmosphere, ensuring both operational efficiency and employee satisfaction.

Subtle shifts in terminology, like using "near hit" instead of "near miss," can significantly impact perceptions and approaches to potential incidents. This seemingly minor change encourages a more proactive approach to risk management. This insight, along with the ongoing campaign to replace "accident" with "crash," highlights a crucial point: most collisions are preventable. Acknowledging this shifts the focus from blame to accountability and proactive prevention. Our latest safety report delves deeper into this mindset, offering invaluable guidance for fleet decision-makers. Through case studies and expert advice, it explores strategies to reduce the likelihood of incidents, mitigate their severity, and manage the aftermath effectively. This report is sponsored by Kwik Fit and Europcar