WORKPLACE SAFETY

Three Australian companies are teaming up to trial a revolutionary safety technology to prevent massive machinery from entering restricted areas at mine sites and improve work safety.

Downer, Australia’s leading provider of integrated services, along with Coates Hire and SITECH WA, Western Australia’s premier mining and construction technology solutions provider, have partnered to trial an Australia-first technology that promises to deliver enhanced safety for construction and mine sites.

Called the 3D Avoidance Zone System it will be used to elevate safety at construction and mine sites through the deployment of a unique, invisible ‘digital barrier’ which can shut down atrisk equipment the instant the barrier is touched.

Already deployed successfully on New Zealand train systems by KiwiRail, the technology promises to dramatically reduce accidents and increase safety in construction areas which are being undertaken within tight areas or nearby critical infrastructure.

“The system will be used as further mitigation against potential to ‘foul’ the rail danger zone, over and above to those physical barriers already in place,” said Cormac Brady, General Manager, Western Australia Infrastructure Projects, Downer. Avoidance Zone System, Downer will be able to apply it to our wider rail and civil projects, thus ensuring safety is at the heart of everything we do.”

The technology will be trialled for the first time in Australia, with Western Australia chosen as the ideal location for the trial to take place. The location of the trial will not be disclosed.

“Construction sites near rail lines and other critical infrastructure are both necessary and fraught with hazards, as excavators increasingly work within tight areas and nearby fast-moving transport,” said James Naylor, Executive General Manager, West, Coates Hire.

“Thankfully technology is emerging to ensure these work spaces are safer than ever before, with Western Australia the first Australian state to benefit through this trial.

“This offering is the next stage in our Internet of Things (IoT) strategy. Once completed, Coates Hire customers will benefit from enhanced safety, productivity and monitoring capabilities.”

So how does this innovative technology work? An excavator’s position is provided by SITECH WA’s next generation Trimble Machine Control System, Earthworks. Utilising dual Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology, the position of the whole of the machine is passed to the Trimble Marine Construction Software (TMC) which compares the machine’s position with the exclusion zone.

The TMC evaluates the current position of the machine against a predefined three-dimensional model of the restricted area.

If any part of the excavator ‘touches’ the invisible barrier, TMC sends a signal to the machine to stop by disabling all operator inputs, ensuring the operator is no longer able to continue on their current path of movement.

This barrier can be set by site managers, but once the barrier is set there is no need to update the barrier, as the GPS system is always aware of the location of the machine, even if it moves beyond its original location.

“Many ‘2D’ height and slew-limiting systems exist on the market today, but they aren’t nearly as effective and can be prone to more human error,” said Brady.

“The operator sets the limits manually by putting the machine up to the limit – this increases risk as these ‘2D’ systems are relative. Once the tracks of the excavator move the system needs resetting.

“With the SITECH WA’s 3D Avoidance Zone System the restricted area is absolute, and the machine position is always known.”

The technology works on a “Traffic Light” system. A Green alert advises workers and managers that the excavator is all clear to proceed operation; an Amber alert advises the worker and site manager that the excavator is approaching the Avoidance Zone, typically usually 0.5m as defined within the TMC software; and a Red alert means the excavator has entered the Avoidance Zone and triggers the machine interlock which overrides the machine’s operation and halts it immediately.

“SITECH WA leverages technology in all facets of the construction and mining sectors to improve safety, productivity and efficiency.

“Applying this technology to Coates Hire’s equipment helps keep workers and the general public safe along with protecting critical infrastructure is of paramount importance to what we do day in, day out,” said George Harris, Sales Manager, SITECH WA.

“This technology can be used in so many different applications on many different machine types. We are excited to partner with both Downer and Coates in this project.”

Exhibitors at upcoming trade shows may be eligible to receive up to $250,000 funding via the government’s Business Events grant opportunity.

The Business Events program provides delegates – including buyers and sellers – with financial support to attend and participate at exhibitions, conferences and conventions. The initiative is intended to instil confidence back into the business events sector and encourage businesses to return to the event forum.

Any company, partnership or sole trader is eligible to seek a grant, and looking to exhibit at one of the government’s approved events.

The closing date to apply is 30 March 2021, 5.00pm AEDT so act fast.

The Workplace Health & Safety Show Sydney 2021 is an Approved Business Event. If you exhibit at this event you may be eligible to apply for the grant, claiming up to 50 per cent of the cost of exhibiting from the Australian Government.

Headed by Marie Kinsella, CEO International Exhibition & Conference Group, the Workplace Health and Safety Show encompasses a free program of events and opportunities to meet new suppliers, update your knowledge, join discussions, and forge connections.

This year’s event will be held at the Sydney Showground in Homebush on September 7 and 8.

As part of the WHSS virtual series there will be an event focusing on mental health taking place on Thursday April 21.

It will feature a Virtual Exhibitor Marketplace where exhibitors will be online to launch new products, discuss the latest innovations in workplace safety, meet one-on-one in face to face online chats, collaborate to determine your ongoing needs, organise a followup meeting if required – all in one place – drop in and out of the various stands and plan what your ongoing needs are for 2021 and beyond.

With a thirst for business and consumers to meet in-person once again, to network, learn and share expertise, we hope the grant will give you a chance to showcase your company bigger and better!

Contact the WHSS team at whssales@iecgroup.com.au to receive a copy of the floor plan and event prospectus for the Workplace Health & Safety Show Sydney.

With an appetite from vendors to take part, premium locations will be secured quickly.

The colour of your disposable hygiene apparel is a significant consideration that can differ for food services and manufacturing environments.

Harcor, a company specialising in hygiene apparel, says that it is always advisable that a manufacturer who uses disposable safety apparel considers its colour when paired with the product being processed.

When it comes to hair restraints, the most common colour hair nets and beard covers that Harcor supply is white. In most cases this colour is ideal but there are some exceptions.

White is a popular choice for hair net and beard cover colour simply because it clearly shows dirt and potential contaminants. It is the perfect colour for most environments.

However, in the baking industry for example, where many use ingredients such as flour, do not use white. This is due to the colour being difficult to identify in contrast to the ingredients being processed.

Employees involved in food preparation in public view, can often be seen wearing blue, green, yellow, pink or red hair restraints. These colours standout, demonstrating to the public that food preparation hygiene standards are being adhered to.

While branding is not high on the list of priorities regarding food safety, an employee's presentation can represent the company’s brand. Therefore, matching the employee’s uniform could also be a colour consideration.

Harcor’s disposable hygiene apparel is used in multiple industries. In addition to standard white and blue hair restraints, Harcor can supply various sizes, styles and colours as special orders.

Please note certain stock styles have a single carton minimum order. Nonstock hair restraints are subject to higher minimum order volumes.

Harcor offers a wealth of practical knowledge, underpinned with quality hygiene products and reliable service. Contact Harcor for friendly service and advice.

Harcor harcor.com.au

More than one in six Australians suffers hearing loss, and thanks to an ageing population and more people being exposed to dangerously loud noise, that number is expected to rise in the coming decades.

The resulting productivity losses, according to recent figures from Australian hearing care and professional services groups, total more than $16.2 billion, or $4,109 per person.

Workers hit disproportionately harder includes those aged in their 50s and 60s, who are often among the most skilled, but also those most affected by hearing loss and prone to further damage from Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) in the workplace.

“The hearing loss figures don’t surprise us, because it has been known for a long time that continual exposure to loud noise is the most common preventable cause of sensorineural hearing loss,” says James Maslin, technical product manager at Air Springs Supply, a distributor for some of the world’s most effective NVH isolators.

“This is the permanent type of hearing loss which accounts for more than 90 per cent of hearing loss in adults.

“So it’s important not only to provide PPE to try to stop noise getting through to the ear, but also to cut off the noise at source – like crashing metal springs and unsuspended stamping, conveying, compressor, generator and HVAC equipment,” says Mr Maslin.

“We are already getting people dropping out of the workforce because of problems with hearing and communicating, and this is costing both the individual and our skills base.”

Currently the issues affect men much more than women, but this may change as more women join traditionally male-dominated industries, such as manufacturing, construction, civil engineering, and mining and energy.

These are all industries that are seeking to manage their NVH issues, both in the workplace and – in some cases – in surrounding communities.

“Hearing protection needs to start as early as possible as the effects of age and noise exposure are additive,” says Mr Maslin. “Noise exposure may cause hearing loss in middle age that would not otherwise occur until old age.

“So the problem is major, ongoing, predictable and, in many cases, preventable.”

Air Springs Supply has decades of first-hand experience of the issue as the national distributor of one globally proven highly effective solution to NVH issue, its Firestone Airmount pneumatic isolators.

These ultimate actuators, which support up to 40 tons per unit, not only silence intrusive NVH from machinery and plant, but also are also suitable for suspending and protecting entire structures – including building and electronic facilities – against NVH created by passing rail and road traffic, civil engineering machinery and other ambient NVH.

Engineered from tough fabricreinforced rubber, Airmounts are identical in construction to the air springs used in the suspensions of heavy trucks seen every day on the toughest Australian roads.

Super-silent Airmounts – either permanently sealed or fed by standard industrial compressor equipment – range from palm-sized to nearly a metre across, individually supporting weights extending from a few dozen kilos up to more than 40,000kg.

They are available in single, double and triple-convoluted types as well as rolling sleeve models.

Air Springs 02 8877 5500 airsprings.com.au

Safely moving large pallets on forklifts in tight spaces can be a challenging ordeal. Add in staff and pedestrians to that mix and it increases the likelihood of something going awry.

That’s why the team at PFD Food Services turned to A-Safe Australasia to improve their Brisbane warehouse workflow and ensure the products supplied to customers are safe and meet food safety requirements.

“Like most warehouses, we had steel barriers around our walkways and in front of walls,” says David Pashen, operations manager of the PFD food Services Brisbane warehouse. PFD Food Services is a family-owned company delivering a range of food products and cleaning solutions to the hospitality sector, aged care facilities and schools.

“The steel barriers were dull and grey, meaning visual safety was a concern. And because of their age, it was not looking like it should look, maintenance on it was increasing and it did not do the job which it was put there to do.

“When anyone hit the steel barriers, the forklift was damaged, the concrete was damaged or the safety of employees was risked,” he tells Industry Update.

A-Safe Australasia has been setting the global standard in workplace safety for almost two decades. From warehouses, cold storage and manufacturing facilities to car parks and airports.

They provide rigorously tested and certified industrial impact protection for a range of specialist applications. Services include a site survey, along with product recommendations and costing, as well as expert installation.

A-Safe Australasia’s customers benefit from improved workplace safety, increased operational efficiency, as well as reductions in facility maintenance, repair costs and down time. With over 35 years of industry experience, A-SAFE is trusted by some of the world’s best-known brands, including BMW and Amazon.

Designed to stop forklift trucks and other industrial vehicles, their barriers are the most heavily tested safety barriers in the world. A-Safe polymer safety barriers are impact rated, compliant with code of practice PAS 13 Code of Practice for safety barriers used in traffic management within workplaces and verified by TÜV Nord.

From light weight pallet trucks to heavier MHE if there is a risk of impact, A-SAFE will have a solution. The flexible, energy-absorbing barriers visually define traffic routes and physically protect pedestrians and drivers in the event of

an impact by cushioning and deflecting impact forces.

Mr Pashen came across A-Safe’s recognisable bright yellow polymer products. He had site survey and demonstration and promptly went ahead and installed iFlex bollards and railings, in addition to gates, in 10 per cent of the work areas at PFD Foods.

The iFlex Single Traffic Barrier Plus installed at PFD Foods is ideal for hightraffic environments, where pedestrian traffic and heavyweight vehicles both share space.

They were so successful in mitigating accidents that more barriers were installed and are currently trialling the A-Safe Rack End Barrier.

“Staff interaction is excellent. They don’t seem to hit them as much as they hit the steel,” he says.

“They’re very visible and they actually look like a barrier should.

“It’s neat and tidy and from a safety concern, if you hit one, there is a rebound factor.”

Mr Pashen also praised A-Safe’s customer service and installation team, saying the fit-out was quick, efficient and had minimal disruption to the business.

“The team that came to Brisbane to install the bollards were absolutely brilliant,” he says.

“Our CEO visited recently and she put a huge tick against it. She said it was excellent and would like to see A-Safe installed in some of the other warehouses.”

A-Safe Australasia Pty Ltd 02 9625 8927 www.asafe.com

When it comes to moving heavy objects in warehouses and on worksites, having safe reliable cranes is of prime importance.

Overhead cranes are designed to raise and lower only in the vertical position. If the side-winding of a load occurs, damage to the crane will result.

To prevent the dangerous and expensive practice of side-pulling, Liftco designed and patented the Side Pull Prevention Device, which works on the angle of the side pull of the rope.

Made with LM4 high grade aluminium and mild steel, it acts as a rope guide protector ensuring safety in the workplace as all limits remain operative. In addition, this device also offers various degrees of adjustment to accommodate different angles.

It is a very compact unit normally fitted above the moving range of the bottom block so as not to interfere with the normal height of the lift.

The Side Pull Prevention Device also stops the dragging of loads, is easily fitted to any crane or hoist and protects the rope guide as well as rope drum and bearings. This results in a reduction in down time and maintenance costs.

Another top seller is the Load Limiter, which protects against overloading the crane and supporting structures thereby reducing risk of accidents. available to a preset weight, but it can easily be calibrated on site and can be automatically reset by reducing the load.

Easily installed and available for all capacity cranes, the Load Limiters are designed for gantry cranes to limit the load to the design of the crane.

This means they cannot pick up anything heavier than the working load limit. The Load Limiter cuts the power to the “UP” contact, therefore preventing the crane from overload. The crane can then easily be lowered.

Load Limiters from Liftco are designed to withstand the harshest conditions and can be used in dusty conditions, high heat environments and even galvanising/acid plants.

They also stock rope drum and guide protectors, conductor bars and a unique C track system that has been designed with ease of installation and durability in mind.

All fittings and trolleys are constructed in glass filled nylon. The galvanised steel rail is joined with a unique G.F.N joiner eliminating the possible misalignment by overtightening.

Established in 1991, Liftco Industrial Supplies is a dedicated provider of Liftco devices to the Crane and Manufacturing Industry.

All Liftco products help reduce maintenance costs and suit most types of applications for rope and chain, cranes and hoists.

The Wollongong-based business are a specialist importer and distributor of cost effective, simple and reliable safety and electrification equipment for overhead cranes.

The primary focus of their product range is to improve safety protocols and help reduce repair and maintenance costs on overhead cranes and their devoted team have over 29 years of experience in this industry and are on hand for any enquiries you may have.

Liftco Industrial Supplies Pty Ltd (02) 9829 4411 www.liftco.com.au