Hughes & Salvidge first UK demolition contractor to use SiteZone proximity warning system
A demolition contractor has taken a proactive lead on anti-collision safety by specifying the use of OnGrade’s proximity warning system, SiteZone, in its health and safety enforcement on site.
Until now, the use of SiteZone has been recommended by lead clients to all their sub-contractors on a project. However, Hughes and Salvidge has taken the corporate decision to insist on using the system on all projects at its Heathrow Airport operations that involve plant and on-ground personnel. A first for OnGrade, the application of SiteZone in the demolition industry is a milestone in its quest to improve site safety awareness.
Gary Escott, OnGrade Director comments: “SiteZone has already proved a success in the construction and waste sector. However, we know that the demolition business is high-risk because personnel on foot often work in close proximity to heavy plant on site. The team at Hughes & Salvidge have shown just how dedicated they are to their staff’s safety, and using SiteZone will help them to reinforce and improve safety performance.”
All Hughes & Salvidge plant vehicles being used at Heathrow Airport have been fitted with SiteZone, which uses radio frequency identification (RFID) detection. This means that SiteZone can see around corners, through dust and smoke and in poor light conditions, giving targeted warning alarms to both drivers and workers on foot should they enter each other’s working area.
Plant and vehicles are fitted with SiteZone base stations, while site workers have RFID transponders fitted to their hard hat or sleeve. When a site worker breaches a predefined detection zone, both the worker and driver receive a ‘proximity warning’. The RFID tag vibrates, making the site worker aware of the vehicle, while the driver is alerted by sound and flashing lights in the cab of the vehicle. This two-way alarm feature is fundamental to site safety, since responsibility for avoiding accidents is shared by both parties.
SiteZone also logs incident data which can be transmitted and viewed on the Cloud by using the telematics function. It collects essential data from SiteZone in the event of a zone breach to help managers monitor and improve site safety. Hughes & Salvidge site managers have full access to the system via a dedicated log-in, which enables them to view information such as the number of unauthorised entries into a safety zone and a real-time display of length of time spent within them. By generating this information, performance reports can be created to highlight key ‘hot spots’ on site, within specified zones or specific personnel safety breaches.
Hughes & Salvidge Group Safety, Health, Environmental and Quality (SHEQ) Manager, Tony Jack said; “At Hughes & Salvidge we work very hard on our approach, development and implementation of matters relating to Health and Safety. We are very proud of our Health and Safety record and we are delighted to enhance this further with the introduction of the SiteZone Proximity Warning System on all plant we are using at Heathrow Airport.
“We didn’t want to use this safety system because we were asked to, we wanted to initiate the system as a key part of every project we do at the Airport – where plant and on-ground personnel are working in close proximity. The feedback already from our plant operators, on-ground personnel and our clients has been excellent and as an employer it has given us great satisfaction that we have provided an extra element to our already stringent Health and Safety processes to help keep our staff safe.”
For further information on OnGrade’s SiteZone click here
