Safety is the foundation of every successful project, but identifying risks before they become accidents requires more than just a physical walkthrough. In this guide, we’ll show you how to use Propeller to visualize and track safety hazards directly on your 3D site map. From measuring berm heights and road grades to logging specific incidents and sharing instant reports, you’ll learn how to turn your drone data into a proactive tool that keeps your entire team safer.
Frequent site surveys allow you to spot hazards and detect irregularities, fissures, and potential slips before they become problems.
You can use safety-focused templates in Propeller to create a paper-free, precise visual record of site hazards, road grades, and berm heights that can easily be tracked and shared with your team.
How to measure berm heights
Checking berm heights is a critical safety task.
- Select the Line tool from the measurement toolbar.
- Choose the Berm Check template.
- Click once at the high point of the berm and double-click at the base to finish.
Pro Tip: In the left-hand panel, you can visualize the measurement in 3D and change its color to indicate risk levels (e.g., red for dangerous heights). You can also enable a Cutaway view for a detailed cross-section.
Don’t forget to add notes or comments in the description box to provide context for your team.
Measuring road grades
Measuring road grades ensures your haul roads are within safe operating limits.
- Select the Line tool.
- Choose the Grade/Slope template.
- Click along the road you want to measure and double-click to finish.
You can view the grade in percent, degrees, or ratio.
Checking all roads with the Gradient map layer
The Gradient map layer helps you evaluate the entire site at a glance.
Since most roads should not exceed a specific steepness (e.g., 40%), you can customize the gradient ranges to highlight any areas that break this rule. This allows you to quickly zoom in on steep sections that need immediate attention.
Logging specific hazards
Use the Point tool to mark individual hazards, such as potholes, debris, or damaged equipment.
- Select the Point tool.
- Choose the Hazard template.
- Click on the exact location of the hazard on the map.
This will automatically capture the coordinates. From there, use the dropdown lists to record details like type, severity, and likelihood, and add any necessary notes.
Marking hazard zones
Sometimes a hazard isn't just a single point—it's an entire area.
- Polygon Tool: Use this to draw boundaries around large areas like visitor car parks or slow-speed zones. If you promote these measurements to the Site level, they become visible to the whole team automatically.
- Line Tool: Use this to mark linear hazards like open trenches or unstable edges.
Sharing safety hazards
Once you’ve mapped your hazards, sharing them is simple.
Share a direct link
To notify a specific person about a hazard:
- Select the measurement you want to share.
- Click the Share Measurement.
- Copy the link and send it via email or chat.
When the recipient clicks the link, they will be taken directly to that exact hazard on the map.
Export a safety report
To generate a report of all safety-related items:
- Filter your measurements by searching for "safety" (or the specific template name you used) in the left-hand panel.
- Select the measurements you want to include.
- Click the OUTPUTS tab and choose Measurement Report.
- Download the CSV or PDF.
This report provides an overview of each hazard, including coordinates, severity, and any comments you added.
I still can't do it!
We wrote these articles to equip you with everything you need to get the job done on your own, but we understand that sometimes this isn't sufficient.
If you're stuck, you can connect with our support team by clicking the question mark button at the top right corner of your user portal.
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