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Case Study: Eurovia – Plant and People Interface in Asphalt Production
The challenge: Improving proximity safety in a high-risk industry
As part of an annual appraisal, Eurovia Roadstone Asphalt Technician Emma Barnard was tasked with finding an innovative idea for health and safety. Given the people and plant interface is one of the biggest hazards in the UK construction sector, Emma identified a real need for a proximity warning alert system that would warn a shovel loader driver when a pedestrian was nearby. This was a critical step in making sure staff, employees, and visitors remained safe at all times.
The solution: Installing a proximity warning alert system
In 2016, Eurovia installed the ZoneSafe Vehicle to Person Alert Detection System. This flexible system is designed to help prevent accidental collisions by fitting onto all types of vehicles.
The system is a radar system fitted onto the front and back of the loading shovel, with a detection zone ranging from 3 to 9 metres. When a pedestrian wearing a tag enters this zone, an audible and visual warning is provided from an in-cab control unit.
Crucially, the system is designed to enforce engagement: the driver has the capability to mute the alert, but “that’s only after he’s acknowledged you being in the vicinity of the shovel.” Furthermore, the operator must insert a yellow identification tag as an isolator and press a button to acknowledge they are in the machinery before operating. This ensures accountability and safety compliance before work begins.
The result: Increased awareness and a safer environment
The implementation of the system has been a massive improvement for Eurovia Roadstone, successfully rolled out across the two sites in Ipswich and Dagenham. The safety proximity sensors are hugely beneficial because employees and other members of staff have become more aware of the loading shovel—they are now “conscious of that shovel.”
The company now has a way to monitor this critical hazard by recording safety data: “The safety proximity data can be recorded on the box inside the cab, which would show us who’s been near the loading shovel and all the relevant information.” This capability allows for proactive safety auditing and reporting.
As Emma Barnard stated, “The people and plant interface is one of the biggest hazards… so the fact we can now successfully monitor this and alert a person to potential dangers is a massive improvement.” Emma concluded that the innovation was worth it because “It saved one person’s life.” She believes it would be “brilliant if this innovation was rolled out across the industry.”
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