The Watchman Solutions Group Story

Intense media coverage of the crane accidents in 2008 brought the issue of crane safety and the need for improvement to the forefront of the public’s consciousness. Citizens across the nation demanded answers for why the industry was not safer.

The issue did not escape the notice of a team of developers in Boston. And on the other side of the country, the pressing need for improved safety was something that one California man, Jeff York, had already made the focus of his career in the heavy construction industry.

The team of engineers in Boston believed that a technology based solution could improve safety, but it was clear they needed to consult someone from the industry. Fate finally put them in touch with Jeff York at an industry conference.

They discovered that not only did Jeff have the right kind of first-hand experience as a crane operator, signal person, inspector and safety manager but he also believed that technology could be used to address the issues around safety.

Jeff explained to the engineers that he envisioned a technology solution that would be focused on inspections. As a professional crane inspector, Jeff understood the crucial role that inspections have in ensuring that cranes are maintained and operated safely.

He used the Manhattan crane accident on March 15, 2008 as an example: a buildings inspector faked a report that he visited the tower crane on March 4 in response to a complaint. Jeff did not have to do much more explaining before it was very clear that without accountability in inspections there can be no assurance of safety.

Jeff and the engineers then worked on refining Jeff’s idea into an invention – a new method and inspection tool capable of ensuring accountability. The invention utilizes advances in RFID technology to ensure accountability. The inspection tool scans RFID tags on the crane at which point a GPS location and timestamps are generated – making fake reports impossible.

Jeff’s vast experience in the industry has lead to the inclusion of many other features and functions. Today the inspection tool is known as The Watchman™. And Jeff and rest of the team are now known as The Watchman Solutions Group.