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The construction, agriculture, forestry and mining industries have some of the most dangerous working environments in the world, and every year accidents lead to fatalities and serious injuries. Incidents such as falling from height or being struck by a vehicle make working in these environments a dangerous profession. Brigade Electronics looks at how utilizing technology can improve safety.
Health and safety legislation has gone a long way to help prevent such tragedies from occurring. In the US, an employer can face large financial penalties and imprisonment if found guilty of breaching the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
So, when safety can be affected by extreme weather, unstable terrains, thick dust, debris, mud, and poor visibility, what options are there to keep a workforce protected, minimize health and safety breaches, and protect a company’s reputation?
Thanks to advancements in technology, more and more innovative equipment is available that can withstand challenging conditions and protect the welfare of workers.
“Take reversing alarms as an example. In recent years it has been noticed that when heavy machinery is operational and several alarms are sounding at the same time – which regularly happens in hazardous environments – it can be difficult to establish where alarms are coming from.
“Thanks to the latest technology, a new generation of reversing alarms has been developed, like our bbs-tek® White Sound® Reversing and Warning Alarms. Instead of a ‘beep beep’, they make a ‘ssh ssh’ white sound, which uses broadband frequencies giving greater directional information to the ear. This makes the noise instantly locatable helping to prevent accidents.”
Additionally, the new generation of onboard cameras, such as Brigade Electronic’s Backeye®360 Cameras and Monitor Systems, eliminates blind spots and reduces collisions with people and objects. It provides complete 360-degree views outside the vehicle, even during low light and extreme dust.
Due to advancements in radar technology, radar systems are becoming more popular as a means of protecting workers in challenging conditions. The Backsense® Radar Obstacle Detection System detects people and objects in a driver’s blind spot and provides visual and audible warnings in the cab, even under harsh workplace conditions such as smoke, fog, and dust.
