A FALL IN THE CANALS:
The Close Call that Reshaped Lone Worker Safety at GCWA

Maintaining 300 miles of canals across rural Texas is the job of the Gulf Coast Water Authority (GCWA)’s 14 heavy equipment operators. The 10-hour shifts are long, the work is mostly solitary, and cell service is unreliable. But the job is critical: the canal system, built in the 1930s, require regular dredging to keep the water flowing for 22 Texas communities and major refineries.

Then came a serious close call. An operator fell from his truck while deep in the canal system and broke his back. Hidden in tall grass—where snakes and alligators roam—he was disoriented and in pain. It took 20 minutes to fish his phone from his pocket and call for help. Luck was on his side: a co-worker happened to be just half a mile away instead of the usual 15–20 miles.

The rescue was far from simple—his location was so remote, the co-worker had to mark the way for EMS with a trail of safety cones. The incident raised some big concerns: What if he’d been unconscious? What if he couldn’t reach his phone or didn’t have a cell signal? Would it have been a rescue—or a recovery?

Compounding concerns was the check-in process. For years, staff either clocked in at the Alvin, TX office or through a phone app. During COVID, the app became the only option—but it wasn’t reliable. People sometimes forgot to check in, leaving supervisors with no clear picture of who was still out in the field, who was running late, or who might be in trouble.

GCWA needed a better way to stay connected with workers, no matter how far out they were—or how bad the cell signal got— and be able to reach them fast in an emergency.

First, they tried radios and phone-based safety apps, but range limitations and spotty signal strength in rural stretches of the canal system were problematic. Ongoing search led them to Blackline Safety’s G7 Lone Worker devices, a more robust connected solution built for exactly this kind of challenge. And with built-in safety features like fall detection, missed check-in, and additional services like two-way voice and 24/7 live monitoring—every situation was covered.

Before investing, GWCA put the G7s to the test inside their three-story Shannon Pumping Plant, built in 1906. While the thick concrete walls normally block all signal, the devices delivered reliable direct-to-cloud cellular connectivity. GCWA moved forward with ordering 60 units for both field operators and office staff.

Operator units were set for automated three-hour check-ins, providing regular visibility into their safety. The Blackline Live map showed exactly where people were, making it easy to see if someone was still working late or if something seemed off. Office settings were tailored differently, since the devices were used to guard against accidents and security threats like vandalism.

G7 Lone Worker changed how GCWA protects its people—especially those heavy equipment operators spread along hundreds of miles of remote canals—and is now integral to daily operations.

Benefits realized include:

• Lone worker visibility – they can see exactly where operators are, whether they’re working late, and react fast if something’s wrong.
• Peace of mind – employees know their team and Blackline’s Safety Operations Center is ready to respond the moment an alert goes off.
• Stronger safety culture – even initial skeptics are on board after seeing the solution’s value. Almost half of operators wear their devices, even when it’s not required.