Cranes, forklifts, trucks – moving vehicles at a plant are a necessity to transport heavy loads but can also be a serious hazard to onsite workers. At plants, workers are often focused on the task at hand. Conversations with fellow employees, attention to other functions in the plant and a general increased level of distractions, coupled with the inability to hear oncoming traffic exposes the worker to higher level of risks associated with moving vehicle incidents.
The Vehicle Proximity Alert Safety System (VPASS) by United Safety is designed to provide workers with a warning if they are within a given distance from a vehicle equipped with the system. As a vehicle equipped with the VPASS approaches a worker equipped with a VPASS enabled tag, the worker tag will alert the tag wearer that the vehicle is in proximity. This alert is a vibration, sound or combination of both. The alert distance is configurable and can be altered in real time based on the location of the vehicle in the plant.
In this way, distracted workers are alerted to an approaching vehicle. Likewise, the driver of a forklift or crane who might not be able to see workers because of the load they are carrying are also made aware of workers who are in proximity of the vehicle.
Additional measures like zone control can be added to make the process safer. For example, during lift operations, various zones are created. Depending on the risk and the nature of the lift, only certain people are allowed into certain zones during the lift. In this manner, workers are geo-fenced and only those with permission to enter restricted zones can enter. If an unauthorized worker tries to enter a restricted zone, an alert will be triggered to let him/ her know not to proceed.
The result? Safer workers, lesser incidents.