CONSTRUCTION & SITE SAFETY
SOUND THE ALARM: ANTI- COLLISION SAFETY
Gary Escott, Director of Ongrade, talks about how using RFID proximity warning alarm systems can change a plant operator’s perception of site safety forever.
Plant operators are as vigilant as they can be, it’s a required part of their training. However, restricted vision around a vehicle is a safety mishap just waiting to happen. So, when you use a resource that eliminates that site safety risk easily and efficiently, everything changes for the better. That is the feeling plant operators can get when they use an RFID (Radio Frequency Identity) proximity alarm system.
Construction plant is big and cumbersome, with blind spots. Quite often operators have no idea what, or who is moving behind them, purely because they can’t see every bit of the vehicles’ perimeter from the cab.
Pedestrians may be distracted by activities onsite, or by their work, and may lose a sense of where they are on the site. This can pose serious problems, because they may assume that a plant operator, being high up in a large vehicle will see them – however, this is not always the case.
HOW DOES THIS RFID
PROXIMITY ALARM WORK? When someone walks too near to a plant vehicle being operated on site, an alarm goes off in the cab. Another alarm also goes off on the pedestrian’s hard hat, to let them know they’re too close to the machine. It’s a two-way failsafe and there’s no chance that either the operator or the pedestrian are going to ignore the alarm, because when it goes off, both know that there is the potential for a collision. For plant operators, it means having to stop operating the vehicle and look around to see where the collision risk is.
For example, as there’s a significant blind spot to the rear right-side of an excavator, drivers don’t really know if someone is on that side. Often the biggest fear for drivers when operating an excavator is people coming up behind on the right-
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hand side that they can’t see. Neither party knows for sure which direction the other is going in. Therefore, when the alarm goes off, you’ve got to respond quickly. The RFID system has an advantage over other aides like cameras, as it provides an automatic warning of the presence of a pedestrian.
CHANGING
BEHAVIOURS Operators notice a change in behaviour when using the proximity alarm for a long while. It deters people on site from coming so near to operating plant. The alarm is loud and that’s a vital part of it, because no- one likes setting it off so they’re more careful about their movements on site.
Gavin Elson, a plant operator of over 10 years’ experience has used an RFID proximity alarm for just over a year. Speaking about his experiences he commented: “I’ve found that having the proximity alarm makes the most difference when I’m operating telehandlers, excavators, tipping dumpers and rollers. There are blind spots on all of them.
“I can’t stress enough how much the RFID proximity alarm has changed the rules of plant/pedestrian interaction for the better. The dual alarm system offers a new dimension on site safety, giving all site workers an extra level of control and protection. I didn’t realise just how close and how frequently I came to
near collisions with pedestrians every day while doing my job. I was always aware and knew the danger was real, but it’s more serious than we realise at times. It has been immensely reassuring to have that failsafe and it has certainly removed a lot of stress from my plant operating day!”
RFID systems may not stop a machine from working, but it does let the operator know that someone is nearby, in the field of collision. Moving forward, it’s vital to invest the time and energy to educate everyone associated with working on an active construction site about this safety system; that includes other plant operators, general site operatives and site managers. We need more training and knowledge- sharing. In the end, it’s the users’ perspective that really counts; they are experiencing the changes first hand, and have told us that they are significant changes for the better.
To find out more about SiteZone and RFID proximity alarms visit:
www.proximitywarning.com/contact-us
www.tomorrowshs.com
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