ZoneSafe Vehicle Collision Avoidance System​

A vehicle collision avoidance system in industrial settings directly prevents crashes by instantly alerting operators when vehicles get too close to one another. Using cutting-edge, ultra-precise wireless technology, these systems create dynamic safety zones around machinery. This effectively reduces vehicle-to-vehicle incidents in busy areas like warehouses, construction sites, and manufacturing facilities, significantly enhancing overall workplace safety and operational efficiency.

A vehicle collision avoidance system works by equipping each industrial vehicle with a dedicated ZoneSafe unit. This unit uses precise line-of-sight detection to identify other vehicles fitted with the same system up to 50 metres away. When another vehicle is detected within this range, the system immediately sends a signal to the control unit inside the cab, triggering clear and timely alerts for the operator.

Vehicle collision avoidance systems from ZoneSafe are designed to seamlessly adapt to any vehicle type, regardless of its shape and size, operating where there is a risk of vehicle-to-vehicle collision.

These systems are highly suitable for all forms of industrial transport and plant machinery that operate in close proximity to one another, including:

• Forklifts (critical in busy warehouse aisles)
• Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs)
• Excavators, Dumpers, and Articulated Haulers
• Wheel Loaders and Telehandlers
• Cranes and other heavy lifting equipment
• Agricultural machinery
• All forms of site vehicles operating in congested areas

This ensures robust collision avoidance across diverse industrial fleets, improving safety wherever multiple vehicles operate together.

Vehicle collision avoidance systems are especially beneficial and highly effective in any busy industrial environment where multiple vehicles operate within a shared space, making them critical for enhanced safety.

This includes, but is not limited to:

• Warehouses and Logistics Hubs: High volumes of forklifts, reach trucks, and other material handling equipment operating in confined aisles with blind corners.
• Manufacturing Plants: Diverse machinery moving on production floors, often with limited visibility due to equipment or stacked materials.
• Ports and Container Terminals: Large heavy vehicles like straddle carriers, reach stackers, and trucks operating at high frequency with significant blind spots.
• Recycling and Waste Management Facilities: Irregular vehicle movements and large machinery operating amidst variable waste piles.
• Quarries and Mining Operations: Heavy plant operating in challenging terrain with dust and often poor visibility.

The ZoneSafe system is customisable and scalable to precisely meet the specific safety requirements of these diverse worksites. Its adaptability ensures it can be tailored to suit unique environmental conditions and complex operational needs, significantly reducing vehicle-to-vehicle collision risks where they are most prevalent.

Implementing a vehicle collision avoidance system offers significant advantages, primarily enhancing safety and drastically reducing accident rates across industrial operations.

These systems deliver numerous benefits, including:

• Comprehensive Safety Coverage: With 360-degree proximity sensors, the system eliminates blind spots, providing operators with full awareness of surrounding vehicle movements.
• Proactive Accident Prevention: Advanced detection, with capabilities up to 100 metres, allows for ample reaction time. The system’s dual detection zones (an outer pre-warning and an inner close-proximity zone) provide graduated alerts, enabling operators to respond calmly and effectively.
• Reduced Costs and Downtime: By preventing collisions, these systems directly lower insurance premiums, minimise vehicle damage, reduce repair costs, and significantly decrease operational downtime.
• Clear and Immediate Warnings: Audible and visual alerts ensure operators are instantly aware of nearby vehicles, prompting swift and appropriate action.
• Improved Operator Focus: By providing automated warnings, the system helps reduce distracted driving and allows operators to concentrate more effectively on their primary tasks.
• Versatile Fleet Integration: Compatibility with various vehicle types, regardless of their size or shape, ensures a consistent and high standard of safety across your entire industrial fleet.

Ultimately, these systems create a safer, more efficient, and more cost-effective working environment by proactively mitigating the risks of vehicle-to-vehicle incidents.

A vehicle collision avoidance system significantly contributes to health and safety compliance by proactively reducing accident risks and demonstrating an organisation’s commitment to ensuring workforce safety. In the UK, employers have a legal duty to do everything “reasonably practicable” to ensure a safe working environment, and these systems provide a robust measure towards fulfilling that obligation.

Specifically, these systems enhance compliance by:

• Minimising Accident Risks: By providing early warnings and improving the safety awareness of vehicle operators, they actively prevent collisions between vehicles, directly reducing injuries, fatalities, and property damage.
• Avoiding Penalties and Legal Costs: A reduced accident rate means organisations are less likely to face investigations, substantial fines, legal costs, and compensation claims that arise from non-compliance with health and safety legislation.
• Improving Adherence to Regulations: Implementing such systems supports a safer working environment that aligns with key health and safety regulations (such as the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 in the UK).
• Fostering a Positive Safety Culture: Their deployment signals a strong commitment to safety, which in turn encourages better adherence to safety protocols and strengthens overall compliance within the workplace.

Furthermore, solutions like ZoneSafe can be integrated with other safety measures, such as pedestrian detection systems or active signage, to provide a comprehensive safety network across the worksite, further bolstering an organisation’s compliance efforts.

From the advanced data collected by the ZoneSafe vehicle collision avoidance system, organisations can gain a wealth of crucial insights to significantly enhance workplace safety and operational efficiency. ZoneSafe’s system provides real-time visibility into vehicle movements and near-miss occurrences, transforming raw data into actionable intelligence.

Key insights derived from ZoneSafe data include:

• Identification of High-Risk Zones: ZoneSafe’s data allows you to precisely pinpoint specific areas on your worksite where near-misses and potential vehicle-to-vehicle interactions are most frequent, enabling targeted interventions or route adjustments.
• Analysis of Incident Trends: The system helps you detect patterns in potential collisions, such as recurring times of day, specific shifts, or particular vehicle types involved, revealing underlying operational issues that need addressing.
• Assessment of Operator Behaviour: Insights from ZoneSafe’s data enable you to understand how operators are reacting to system warnings and identify areas where additional training or stricter adherence to safety protocols may be beneficial.
• Evaluation of System Effectiveness: You can directly measure how well the ZoneSafe system is performing in preventing incidents and mitigating risks, allowing for ongoing

Installing the ZoneSafe vehicle collision avoidance system on a vehicle is a straightforward and non-invasive process, typically involving two main components: a Control Unit and an Antenna.

The Antenna is usually mounted securely on the roof of the vehicle, while the Control Unit is connected and housed conveniently inside the cab. A key benefit of the ZoneSafe installation method is that it does not require any drilling, making it highly suitable for integration onto both owned and rented vehicles without permanent alterations. Once installed, the system’s adjustable safety range is configured to provide optimal protection around the vehicle, ensuring operators receive timely audible and visual alerts when other fitted vehicles are detected within the defined zone.