Managing plant for on-site safety
22 June 2023
Accidents involving machinery and plant represented the second biggest cause of workplace fatalities last year – the largest being falls from height. In a recent webinar, Reactec gave an overview of the issue and some of the systems that can enhance on-site protection for operatives.
During the event, organised by Health & Safety Matters magazine, Reactec’s Sales Director Sam Thomas explained that electronic systems such as wearable proximity detection devices and cab-mounted sensors complemented other safety measures like wearing high-vis jackets, fitting flashing beacons to equipment and segregating risk areas with barriers.
The technology can create a proximity warning system around plant and machinery, alerting the operator and nearby pedestrians if the zone is breached.
RFID sensors could be worn with PPE to protect pedestrians with alarms and vibratory warnings, while in-cab cameras and lights could alert drivers. Multi-technology systems could also be adopted combining factors such as GPS location and Wi-Fi to pinpoint people’s exact locations, which could be beneficial in challenging areas such as underground mines.
With such a range of options and possibilities, it was necessary to determine what would be most appropriate for a specific site, said Sam Thomas, protecting site workers without overwhelming them with too much information or false alerts.
He said that new technology like ultra-wide band services, derived from the military, could act like a radar system detecting objects with potentially fewer false triggers, and that artificial intelligence (AI) with facial recognition might be used in future to distinguish more accurately between people and, say, stray animals.
Reactec’s product range includes warning beacons with sensors that can be permanently hardwired into machines or battery-powered for portability; and both plant operators and pedestrians can wear wristwatch-style devices that issue alerts and alarms when safety zone breaches are detected.
Tapping the sensors on strategically located RFID tags enable timed entry to specific areas to undertake particular tasks like machine operation or handling deliveries.
The systems can also record data to analyse overall performance and to see if on-site procedures require modification.
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