Page 85 - HUB-4 Magazine Issue 86

Quarrying News
Hanson – Dagenham integrates site-wide ZoneSafe access control and pedestrian safety solution
Hanson UK, now known as Heidelberg Materials UK, is a leading UK supplier of low-carbon heavy building materials to the construction industry. It is part of the German company Heidelberg Materials, one of the largest building materials manufacturers in the world.
The company produces aggregates, ready-mix concrete, asphalt, cement, and cement-related materials for a customer base across England, Wales, and Scotland. Its Dagenham site is one of the busiest in the Southeast of England, operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The Requirement
The business had identified a need to improve safety measures around traffic management at the Dagenham site.
The site layout is long and narrow, which creates challenges around the safe movement of mobile plant. Over a number of years, the site has seen an increase in vehicle movements, which has resulted in a number of incidents or near misses, highlighting the need for more robust systems to be applied.
Solution and implementation
Hanson UK collaborated with ZoneSafe reseller MechTech to find a suitable solution. The first step was to conduct a detailed onsite assessment so that MechTech could fully understand the challenges and safety risks the site was facing.
Pedestrian crossings from the operational area to the jetty were noted as a key concern. This high-risk zone regularly sees shovel loaders and mobile plant moving in close proximity to pedestrians and other vehicles, so it was important to enable safe passage for pedestrians while alerting drivers and operators to hazards in the area.
ZoneSafe was initially trialled on the wharf sand and gravel plant alongside additional safety solutions, with positive results. Following the successful trial, ZoneSafe was applied to all other machines to control vehicle and pedestrian access across the Dagenham site.
The Result
The application of ZoneSafe has significantly improved site safety for workers and visitors and enhanced the overall safety culture at Dagenham.
The business has identified a number of incidents that could have occurred had ZoneSafe not been in place and is pleased that these potentially serious accidents have been avoided.
ZoneSafe alerts drivers and pedestrians when in close proximity and addresses high-risk areas by ensuring shovel loader drivers and mobile plant operators are made aware of risk in good time, helping to avoid collisions.
Furthermore, the company’s commitment to safety through investment in ZoneSafe has also resulted in a notable improvement in the overall safety culture not just at Dagenham, but across the business.
Michael Perkins, Dagenham Site Manager, said, “ZoneSafe has had a massive impact on safety at Dagenham. We have seen a reduction in potential incidents and the investment has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on our health and safety culture.
“This solution gives us all peace of mind as it provides an alert covering 360-degrees around the vehicle. ZoneSafe helps eliminate the risk of accidents that could have otherwise occurred.
“We are proud to say that our health and safety culture is changing for the better with a strong commitment to training and the drive to promote a safe working mentality.
“Investment in ZoneSafe aligns with the company’s principle of ‘One Team’ where everyone plays a role in creating a safer workplace, and incidents are learned from and acted upon without blame. We are actively learning and using this information to improve safety across Dagenham and the business, and ZoneSafe has played a vital role in this process.”
www.zonesafe.com
www.hub-4.com May/June - Issue 86
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