Personal protective equipment (PPE) is a crucial piece of safety kit and mandatory in many high-risk working environments. It comes in various forms from something as simple as an apron and gloves to hard hats, ear defenders and fully protective suits. Whatever the item, PPE is designed to protect the person wearing it from harm related to the hazards around them.
PPE is just one piece of the jigsaw when it comes to workplace safety; one of the layers of interventions in place to mitigate workplace risk. By incorporating technology into PPE, the level of protection is raised, and wearable safety technology is now a key consideration when addressing risk to workers.
Close proximity working, where pedestrians and vehicles work closely, poses one of the greatest risks to workers. 20 people were killed in UK workplaces in 2022/23 after being hit by a moving vehicle[1]. In addition, hundreds more suffered serious and often life changing accidents highlighting the continuing need to take proactive action to improve safety.
Earlier this year, ZoneSafe obtained shocking details through a freedom of information (FOI) request, regarding the number of fatal and non-fatal accidents that were due to being struck by a moving vehicle, in the waste and recycling sector. The FOI data revealed that 10 of the 27 worker deaths reported, and 445 non-fatal injuries in the sector reported over the 5-year period (2017/18-2021/22), were due to being struck by a moving vehicle[2]. The FOI also revealed that of the 610 sites visited for safety inspection, 260 contravened current health and safety rules, representing a material breach rate of 43 percent. Figures like these reveal the very real threat that close proximity working poses to workers.
In high risk environments like this, complacency costs lives and can destroy a business. Despite improvements in safe working practice across industrial sectors, working at height and collision with a moving vehicle or object still represented 2/3 of all fatal accidents in UK workplaces in 2022/23. By incorporating anti-collision technology, most of these types of accidents are avoidable[3].
Safety across the worksite
Proximity warning systems offer a flexible and straightforward way to address the risk. ZoneSafe proximity warning system offers a two-way system where workers simply add a small tag to their standard daily PPE. The tag can be worn on a lanyard, attached to clothing, work boots, onto a helmet, or simply worn in a pocket.
The system is also fitted to manual handling equipment and an adjustable, invisible detection zone is formed around the vehicle. Through RFID technology, the personal tags communicate with vehicles, raising the alarm when they come into close proximity. When the detection zone is breached by a pedestrian worker, a visual/audio alarm alerts both the driver of the vehicle, and the pedestrian of the presence of danger, allowing them to stop in their tracks and avoid an accident. It’s a simple and effective way to raise awareness and avoid complacency.
ZoneSafe’s tag-based system is used widely to reduce the opportunity for pedestrian/vehicle collisions and the same innovative technology has been harnessed to create a range of additional anti-collision products. Each product can be utilised individually to solve a specific concern or used collectively with other products from the range to form a fully comprehensive site-wide safety solution. Tags are safely incorporated into PPE and antennas are easily fitted to vehicles and hazards without impacting operations. ZoneSafe solutions can be tailored to specific known hazards or combined to address multiple areas of concern across the workplace.
Access control and activated signage
In some areas like blind spots and vehicle crossings, it’s necessary to create a more engaging alert that grabs the attention of workers at risk.
Active warning signs around high traffic areas and blind corners, offer a highly visual prompt when hazard is present. When the system detects an approaching vehicle, strategically placed signage automatically illuminates and flashes to gain attention and prompt the operator to take extra care. When the vehicle moves away from the area, the sign automatically stops flashing.
In some areas like blind spots and vehicle crossings, it’s necessary to create a more engaging alert that grabs the attention of workers at risk.
Active warning signs around high traffic areas and blind corners, offer a highly visual prompt when hazard is present. When the system detects an approaching vehicle, strategically placed signage automatically illuminates and flashes to gain attention and prompt the operator to take extra care. When the vehicle moves away from the area, the sign automatically stops flashing.
For crossings, a physical barrier is automatically activated when vehicles approach to ensure pedestrians cannot walk in front of the vehicle. Once the vehicle is no longer present and at a safe distance, the barrier automatically reopens to allow crossing. Similarly, the system can automatically control ingress/egress points to only permit access when it is safe to do so.
Traffic lights can also be incorporated into the full solution. On approach to pedestrian dense areas, traffic lights can communicate with moving vehicles, automatically turning red to stop vehicles, reduce weight of traffic in the area or allow pedestrian crossing.
Projected warning symbols offer another option for addressing collision risk in high density areas and blind spots. A warning symbol is automatically projected onto the floor when a vehicle approaches, alerting pedestrians of oncoming vehicles so they have time to move. This is also helpful for drivers to alert them to other vehicles, assets and hazards in the area.
Vehicle detection and asset protection
While the protection of people and reduction in pedestrian/vehicle collisions is often the ultimate goal of a proximity warning system, protecting other vehicles and assets must also be considered. Manual handling equipment is expensive to repair and taking vehicles out of service due to damage can have a negative impact on productivity.
With ZoneSafe applied, operators are not only alerted to the presence of pedestrians but also to the presence of other vehicles and hazards. The technology can be fitted to any workplace vehicle and alerts drivers to the presence of another vehicle in the same way it would a pedestrian. Both drivers receive the alert, prompting them both to stop.
Assets can be protected via the placement of tagged cones placed around them, that activate when a vehicle enters the detection zone. Tags can also be placed directly on some assets such as robots to reduce the risk of collision.
Data management
The goal of PWS is to reduce the chance of collision but an added feature is the incorporation of data analytics. The system collects key data around every breach that can easily be accessed from the cloud to help identify high-risk areas providing detailed safety information, crucial to improving training, procedures and overall site safety.
ZoneSafe
ZoneSafe offers industrial worksites a portfolio of proximity warning products that are easily installed with minimum disruption. Each product addresses specific areas of concern and provides an effective anti-collision solution. Combining one or more products from the range creates a full safety system, addressing multiple risks in one easy-to-manage system
[1] https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/fatals.htm
[2] https://zonesafe.com/serious-hse-safety-concerns-at-43-of-waste-site-visits/
[3] Statistics – Work-related fatal injuries in Great Britain (hse.gov.uk
