Introducing Oscar 2.0 The future of worksite safety and communication from Colas Rail Colas Rail is one of the world’s leading providers of rail infrastructure services and have been at the forefront of safety best practice, innovation and design for many years. And Colas Rail has once again illustrated its pioneering nature and commitment to safety, innovation and technical excellence, with the development of Oscar 2.0, a truly industry-leading multi-functional worksite helmet.
Oscar 2.0 is so much more than just a new style worksite helmet. The main innovations lie in the integration of three novel functions into the same headgear:
The helmet sends a signal to the wearer when he or she is too close to a overhead line powered by an alternative current.
A communication function
Pioneering partnerships and cutting-edge innovation Oscar is a project collaboration between Bouygues’s research laboratory, the e-lab and Colas Rail’s technical teams. Together the team began work in 2012, gathering ideas and developing the technical specifications, designs were in place and the project had senior management approval at the end of 2013 and Oscar 2.0 successfully passed all the compulsory tests receiving EC certification at the end of 2014. By the end of the first quarter of 2015, 50 helmets will be deployed exclusively to pilot teams on Colas Rail worksites for a month’s initial trial and the plan is then for a further 1,000 helmets to be distributed throughout the rest of the year.
Oscar’s integrated functionality Colas Rail has an absolute commitment to safety, innovation and quality. And Oscar 2.0 is the perfect example of this. Its design and multi-functional approach provides a whole new dimension to onsite safety and communication.
The lighting and visibility function
Alternating current location function
This function enables a team to communicate hands-free, with one another over a distance of up to 250 metres, in three modes: • full duplex mode • walkie-talkie mode • listening mode Further developments of this function will include communicating within much larger teams and communication between teams in particular areas.
Directional lighting
The helmet has a simple, comfortable and practical lighting system, with three different modes: • ambient multi-directional lighting without glare (so that workers can talk without dazzling each other) • close directional lighting (to enable wearers to see properly while they work) • high-powered directional lighting to move around safely)
Future development Other functions such as increasing even further its safety performance, advanced comfort facilities and accessibility are currently under development. And other companies have shown interest in the Oscar 2.0 concept and are monitoring the work and development to date, for potential future adoption.
Ambient lighting