We continue to speak to Health and Safety Managers who are concerned about the safe movement of vehicles at workplaces like warehouses, ports and terminals, manufacturing plants, and engineering plants – to name a few.
These contacts, and conversations, allow us to understand the needs of our industrial safety customers – and has enabled us to meet their needs head-on with the perfect solution; our ZoneSafe products.
Because of this feedback, we remain specialists in our field.
We have visited many companies and realize that a pattern emerges every time – in the wants, needs, problems, and concerns faced by safety managers daily, especially regarding the vehicle movement risk assessment process.
One of the main worries is that a forklift truck (or other industrial vehicle) could strike a pedestrian or other worker, leading to a serious incident, particularly in shared areas. The risk of being struck by a moving vehicle is a constant challenge for Health and Safety Managers.
Advice to health and safety managers:
Clearly mark out areas
It is important to differentiate forklift areas from pedestrian spaces. Pedestrians should know areas where they can walk safely without the worry of walking into the path of a vehicle. This can be achieved by painting the floor and using some form of safety barriers. This is one of the recommendations found in the HSE workplace transport checklist, ensuring all employees understand their role in reducing risks.
Clear signage at crossings
Crossings are highly dangerous areas. These crossings can be very confusing to workers, pedestrians, and visitors alike. One idea is to install a doorway to warn pedestrians that they are about to cross an area that is used by forklifts. Another method is to install light warnings that let pedestrians know a walkway is ahead, reducing moving vehicle hazards.
Separate pedestrians and forklifts
Marking out areas is simpler, but actually separating pedestrians and forklifts is a safer method. Forklift drivers would have to get on and alight their vehicles at the perimeter of the warehouse – and no pedestrian is allowed in this entire area until the vehicles are in use. This separation helps mitigate the vehicle movement risk assessment by minimizing shared zones.
All of these ideas are not always available and/or manageable. Thankfully there is…:
The safer option
ZoneSafe’s products and solutions can significantly decrease the number of incidents in the workplace, eliminating the worry for the Health and Safety Manager and improving the safe movement of vehicles at workplaces.
ZoneSafe Proximity Warning & Alert Systems feature a range of different detection zones suited to either the type of vehicle used – or your specific requirement.
How does it work?
ZoneSafe uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to create detection zones around vehicles, assets, crossing points and walkways.
Active tags can be worn by personnel and are identified by the system when they enter the detection zone. This triggers an audible visual alert, warning vehicle operators of the tag’s close proximity to the vehicle.
A solution for forklift and pedestrian safety
The ZoneSafe Vehicle to Person Alert is the standard application – which helps to prevent collisions between industrial vehicles and pedestrian workers when they work in close proximity to each other. This helps to address the concerns identified in HSE workplace transport checklists.
Whether it’s a forklift truck or excavator, the system is designed to fit any type of vehicle – large or small. Additional antennas can also be fitted to create larger detection zones when required.
How is it unique?
Unlike other systems and technologies such as passive RFID, cameras, and blue lights, ZoneSafe offers a fully 360® detection system that will detect tags through obstructions and around corners, helping to mitigate moving vehicle hazards.
Additional ZoneSafe products
ZoneSafe Insight™ is our software as a service (SaaS) platform for identifying, analysing and reviewing events. The system logs events and can provide reports on any near-miss occurrences.
Find out more at www.zonesafe.net or call 01202 868000
