Leading infrastructure services provider FM Conway is fitting Labcraft Banksman manoeuvring lights to all new HGVs and has already retrofitted the system to its asphalt fleet and selected vehicles in its ‘grab’ fleet – as part of its commitment to leading best practice on road safety.
The company’s highways maintenance division carries out construction and repair works across London and the south of England. Its focus is on minimising disruption for the travelling public as far as possible and as such, its teams often work during the hours of darkness and through the night.
“We often operate plant and equipment in confined spaces, particularly when delivering highways projects in the capital, which poses safety challenges,” explains FM Conway’s senior transport manager Peter Parle. “Add to that the element of poor lighting and the potential risk of collision is increased. That’s why we use an additional lighting system which fully illuminates the area around each vehicle during low-speed manoeuvres so that other team members are alert to any potential hazards.”
Labcraft’s Banksman BM3 system is the World’s first Regulation 23 compliant manoeuvring light and uses high intensity LEDs to cast a powerful white light onto the ground in the area surrounding the vehicle – without projecting outwards into other lines of vision. It comes on automatically when reverse gear is selected and then switches off when 10 km/h (6.4mph) is reached in forward gear.
To accommodate varying chassis heights, the Banksman BM3 offers variants to ensure that the light spread is optimised for each individual vehicle, while still operating within the strict Regulation 23 lighting regulations.
“The nature of our construction activity and our commitment to self-delivering highway works means that we regularly operate between 50-60 vehicles at night,” adds Peter. “Road safety is a priority for us and we regularly review our fleet to ensure we’re investing in the latest safety innovations.”
“With additional twin lights mounted to either side of our tippers, everyone – whether drivers or ground staff – involved in the immediate vicinity is better able to see and avoid any potential hazards in the work area. Consequently, we improve safety, reduce downtime and accident repairs and, most importantly, ensure that our employees, partners and the public go home safe.”
Labcraft’s innovative Banksman lighting solution is proving to be an effective contributor to safety and cost reduction in the Commercial Vehicle Sector. With over 5,000 vehicle installs, ranging from large fleets to owner operators, customers who have fitted these systems have found improved levels of safety as well as significant reductions in costs attributed to vehicle repairs and time off the road due to accidental damage.
FM Conway has over 50 years of experience delivering infrastructure services in transportation, the built environment and open spaces for communities and businesses throughout London and the south of England.
