A culture of site safety is the number one priority in the construction industry. The people-plant interface has been the most significant risk factor in the industry for a long time, and the most common cause of fatal worker accidents. That’s why digital organisations are working to develop technology that will change this. One such organisation with technology that will change risk in the construction industry is Safety Shield. Already often installed on the world’s leading global brands, the Safety Shield is an AI technology that keeps construction workers safe in the workplace.
Why we need Safety Shield
In the construction industry, the areas that are considered hazardous are called the red zone. Traditionally, if a person wants to enter the red zone, they signal this to the operator with a ‘thumbs up’. The operator then disables their machine and lifts the deadman’s handle, which locks all the controls on the machine, before giving a thumbs-up back to show the pedestrian that it’s safe to approach. This practice is widely adopted and well-known across the construction industry. However, this procedure has its flaws.
In poor visibility or during the winter months, it’s possible for a pedestrian to misinterpret an operator’s thumbs-up. It’s also likely that not all people who visit a site, like external stakeholders, office staff, or school groups, are aware of concepts like ‘thumbs up’ or red zones, and won’t be aware that they need to stay safe in this way as they move around. These are significant health and safety hazards in the construction industry, which is why we need technologies like Safety Shield.
How Safety Shield helps
Safety Shield aims to bring the ‘thumbs up’ concept to a digital place. With the thumbs-up procedure already well-known in construction, all the Security Shield Development team wanted to do was enhance it. The Safety Shield model is where the operator simply presses a button in their cab to change a sign’s light from red for ‘no entry’ to green for ‘thumbs up’. This visual light change is paired with an audible message from a speaker that says, “Thumbs up accepted, approach with caution.” And, just like the more low-tech thumbs up, the controls are disabled to make it safe for the pedestrian to approach.
Another feature of the new high-tech Safety Shield is that it shows site personnel exactly where it’s safe for them to walk with the LED ‘shield’. This ‘shield’ highlights the operator’s area of direct vision.
AI person detection
Safety Shield uses strategically placed HD cameras on machines and construction equipment, with AI that identifies people who are moving near the machinery. This helps prevent collisions and other workplace accidents on construction sites.
Real-time alerts
Safety Shield also offers the ability for you to create predefined danger zones. When the AI camera detects a person in the danger zone, the safety system immediately sends an audio and visual alert to the person in the machine’s cab.
Collision prevention
Additionally, Safety Shield offers collision prevention alerts that allow the operator to take action and prevent collisions before they happen.
External alerts
These optional additional modules can activate an external alarm or “Digital Thumbs Up” display. The external alert lets pedestrians know the operator sees them, so that they’re aware they can safely approach the machine.
Less accidents
The Safety Shield system significantly reduces dangerous interactions by preventing people from entering red zones around machines and construction equipment.
Data-driven AI insights
Incident logs and video footage are uploaded to a cloud-based portal, allowing machine owners to review incidents and gain a better understanding of behaviours, as well as identify areas for site layout improvement.
Less distractions
The AI technology focuses only on detecting humans in the area, filtering out other objects and solely protecting people. This means the operator is freer to focus on the task at hand, not having to worry so much about blind spots and noises they might hear but can’t see.
Adaptable
The Safety Shield system is very customisable. You can install the Safety Shield on a wide range of construction equipment to suit many different requirements.
Integratable
You can also integrate Safety Shield’s technology with other apps that track site progress and promote safer behaviours.
Can the Safety Shield replace red zones?
No. Safety Shield makes it clear that routine red zone procedures should still apply. Site personnel should still give their ‘thumbs up’ and wait for the machine to come to a stop before they move, and plant operators should still manually immobilise the machine as they’ve done before. The only difference is that now, the operator should press the ‘Digital Thumbs Up’ button in their cab.
Ready to find out more about how we use Safety Shield in our machinery? Contact us to find out more.