Plantforce draw the line on safety with FTC

As the demand for improvements to safety solutions grows, often the most innovative solutions provide a simple answer in complex environments. This has drawn Tier 1 plant hire supplier, Plantforce, to form a partnership with FTC Group, installing the latest Pedestrian Detection System on one of their new excavators...

With sites getting tighter for space and the inevitable challenges of large machines operating alongside ground-working personnel, one error of judgement can have severe consequences. However, FTC Group has designed and built a system that allows operators to be aware of people entering their machines working area, which has already proved its worth in the fork-lift material handling sector.

With most machines now being fitted with rear and side cameras as standard, as well as a plethora of retrofit systems available, you would be forgiven for not knowing which solution is the best fit for your sites. But with the FTC Pedestrian Detection System, you get the reassuring Ronseal, “does exactly what it says on the tin”, solution that is easy for operators to understand and use.

FTC’s Pedestrian Detection Camera, as its name suggests, provides operators with a clear and simple visual and audible alarm system to notify them of people entering the machines working area.

Despite the easy-to-understand operator interface, as is often the case, the technology solution that powers the system is far more complex. The rangefinder is linked to a sophisticated programmed algorithm software, able to distinguish not only between animate and inanimate objects but between people and things. The ability to tell people from objects makes it a solution that works in a real-world construction site.

At the heart of the system is a complex algorithm and feeding into that are cameras with a 140-degree field of vision, meaning three or four cameras mounted on a suitably shaped vehicle will give a 360-degree view.

FTC Business Development Manager, Sean Hamill explained, “In essence this system offers customers a completely modular safety system that is easy to manage and extremely effective, tracking pedestrians in real-time with a full HD screen and any configuration of alerts required.

“With a detection zone of up to 30 metres, which can be divided into programmable green, amber and red areas, whereby pedestrians are tracked in-cab on an HD screen with each of them marked in red, amber or green dependant on their distance from each fitted camera. It is a bespoke system that is a perfect fit for a wide range of construction equipment.”

Plantforce Digital Manager, Dale Hawkins commented, “At Plantforce we are always looking for ways to improve the safety of our fleet for our customers. This drive for innovation leads us to collaborate with great suppliers like Sean and the team at FTC.