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Workplace Transport and Pedestrian Safety:
Enhancing Health and Safety on the Farm
ZoneSafe’s proactive proximity detection enhances health and safety in agriculture by protecting at the people-plant interface.
What are the dangers of workplace transport in agriculture?
In agricultural and farm environments, the primary dangers of workplace transport stem from the constant movement of large machinery like tractors, harvesters, telehandlers, and forklifts, often sharing space with pedestrians. This creates a significant risk of collisions and severe injuries, largely due to limited visibility from vast machinery, heavy loads, and various field obstructions. These factors contribute to substantial blind spots and blind corners, severely compromising a driver’s situational awareness.
According to RIDDOR data:
- 28% of deaths in agriculture, forestry and fishing industries classified as struck by moving vehicle.
This figure directly reinforces the importance of strong safety protocols in these demanding environments. It’s why, under health and safety law, employers have a legal duty to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, their employees’ health, safety, and welfare.
Our pedestrian detection system actively boosts situational awareness and promotes safer practices on agricultural sites, effectively lowering the chance of collisions between vehicles and pedestrians.
We’re proud to protect workers and health and safety in agriculture, delivering a tried-and-tested proximity warning system that promotes a ‘Zero-harm’ culture. Find out exactly what our customers say about ZoneSafe in our case study videos.
*These provisional figures will be finalised in July 2025. This allows HSE to account for any necessary adjustments or late reports that may come in.
Sector Statistics up to 2023/2024*
%
Workers Who Incurred Non Fatal Injuries
x
Higher Fatality Rate Than Average Across Industries
%
Deaths Caused by Collision With Moving Vehicle
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How does ZoneSafe specifically address these collision risks?
ZoneSafe specifically addresses collision risks, significantly enhancing health and safety in agriculture, by leveraging advanced RFID technology that creates a 360-degree detection zone around heavy plant machinery, ensuring pedestrians are detected even when out of a driver’s line of sight. This is crucial as vehicle blind spots, concealed entrances, blind corners, obstructions, and unexpected behaviours all significantly increase the risk of a pedestrian being hit by a moving vehicle.
Unlike other solutions available on the market, such as an AI camera system, ZoneSafe’s pedestrian detection system does not rely on line of sight. Thanks to its clever use of RFID technology, it will detect pedestrian workers (even when they can’t be seen!) from behind bales, piles of material, bins, and containers.
The ZoneSafe pedestrian detection system works by fitting an antenna to the vehicle, creating a 360-degree detection zone that helps eliminate vehicle blind spots. Pedestrian workers wear a ZoneSafe tag. When the pedestrian (and their tag) enters this detection zone, the antenna detects their presence. Immediately upon detection, the in-cab control unit warns the driver via an audible and visual alarm, and the tag worn by the pedestrian simultaneously vibrates, alerting them to the danger of the approaching vehicle.
Multi-fleet vehicle applications in agriculture:
Protecting pedestrians around farm machinery
Safeguarding health and safety in agriculture is achieved through multi-fleet vehicle applications that prioritise pedestrian protection around essential farm machinery.
Shovel Loaders
Shovel loaders are a significant hazard to pedestrians. Large buckets, attachments, even the shape of the vehicle creates blindspots for the driver and increases the risk of collisions.
Tractors
Tractors feature a range of attachments and trailers that cause blindspots at the front and back of the vehicle. This significantly increases the risk of collisions.
Forklifts
Forklifts have many different blind spots thanks to the loads they carry, distorted view from the cab and shape of the vehicle. These significantly increase the risk of collisions.
How does ZoneSafe improve health and safety in agricultural environments?
ZoneSafe improves health and safety in agricultural environments by providing a proactive detection system that mitigates risks in areas where segregating moving vehicles and pedestrians is challenging, directly addressing vehicle blind spots and complex site layouts that increase accident risk. The system is designed to work effectively across diverse agricultural settings.
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Saw milling
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Transportation
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Ground working
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Debogging
What types of solutions does ZoneSafe offer for farm safety?
ZoneSafe offers a comprehensive suite of solutions designed to enhance farm safety and prevent collisions in busy operational environments. These integrated technologies work together to create a safer worksite for both pedestrians and vehicles.
Activated Signage
Implementing ZoneSafe's vehicle-activated signage provides a practical solution to enhance onsite safety. Signs only flash when the vehicle is present, warning both site users and visitors located in the area to any approaching vehicles.
Site Access Control
Restricting site access to only your employees or anyone given a ZoneSafe tag reduces the risk of accidents. Only ZoneSafe tags open gates or barriers to a restricted area meaning they'll be detected and warned should they get too close to a moving vehicle.
Vehicle-to-Vehicle Detection
Reduce the risk of accidents between moving vehicles with ZoneSafe vehicle detection anti-collision system. Fitting any type of vehicle, the system provides two configurable warning zones, an outer pre-warning (or early warning) zone and inner (close proximity) warning zone.
Data Management
My.ZoneSafe, is our cloud-based insight and data management platform, which records and displays event data (such as near miss occurrences) to inform Health and Safety managers of potential hazards and collision hotspots.
What are the benefits of using proximity warning systems on a farm?
Proximity warning systems significantly enhance farm safety by reducing the risk of collisions between machinery and personnel, which in turn boosts staff morale and productivity. These systems also lead to cost savings by preventing damage to expensive farm equipment.
✔ Improves worker safety and reduces collision risk.
✔ Boosts morale and productivity of staff.
✔ Improves safety on the farm by reducing the risk of accidents.
✔ Saves money by preventing costly machinery repairs and replacements.
How has ZoneSafe improved health and safety in agriculture?
Hear from our customers: Agricultural workplace safety case studies
Keyo had identified a number of potential risks to personnel safety and sought a bespoke solution that could reduce risk to operators.
Leading UK sawmill, Charles Ransford & Son, implemented pedestrian detection systems on loading shovels.
“The ZoneSafe system now forms an integral part of our company procedures, PPE and safety training program. We would highly recommend ZoneSafe and have already identified further areas within our operation where we will undoubtedly incorporate ZoneSafe systems in the future.”
Other projects we’ve delivered
Virginia Hayward,
Warehousing & Logistics
Warehousing & Logistics
Virginia Hayward has reported a dramatic reduction in the number of near misses and accidents since the implementation of ZoneSafe.
Gray Forklift Services,
Forklift Truck Supplier
Forklift Truck Supplier
Gray Forklift Services Ltd selected ZoneSafe to manage their fleet of trucks and health and safety needs.
SAAM Ports,
Cargo Support Services
Cargo Support Services
SAAM carried out an evaluation project to find a solution to protect personnel and assets from vehicle collisions within their ports.
Liberty Steel,
Steel Manufacturer
Steel Manufacturer
Liberty Steel implemented a safety and asset protection system designed to stop cranes from colliding.
See how ZoneSafe can provide a solution for you Get in touch