Most industrial environments, and particularly those that require heavy objects to be moved from one process to another, make use of forklift trucks for these movements.  Whenever people and forklifts mix in the workplace there is a need to ensure pedestrians are aware of the presence of these vehicles to prevent accidental collisions and injuries.

One of the ACA members, Prysmian Cables, has recently adopted new technology by way of a device that is fitted to all forklifts to alert both the forklift driver and any pedestrians that the two are in close proximity to one another.

The devices are manufactured by a company called SEEN Safety Ltd and work by detecting the highly reflective strips that are present on the high viz safety clothing and vests that are worn by all shopfloor personnel.

The SEEN device has a field of vision as shown in the diagram below taken from the SEEN website. If a pedestrian wearing high viz clothing is detected within this field of vision, then an audible alarm is sounded alerting both the driver and the pedestrian to the presence of one another.

As an enhancement, and to increase safety further, Prysmian is extending the application of the SEEN units to cover doorways as a fixed device.  Prysmian has large and small doorways at the entrance to each building.  The large doors are for the exclusive use of forklifts and the small doorways are for pedestrians.

The plan is to fit the SEEN devices above each forklift doorway such that if a pedestrian inadvertently enters the forklift thoroughfare, then a warning is sounded.  This will then serve to alert both the pedestrian and any forklift driver that may be in the vicinity of each other’s presence.

It is through the application of innovative ideas such as this that members of the ACA aim to keep their workplaces safe and create a sustainable future for an important local manufacturing industry.

Sandy Mennie

Secretary

29 June 2022