All forklift telehandlers across Countryside construction sites and factories are being fitted with Safety Shield cameras that can detect the human form and sound alarms when a machine gets too close.
The cameras can detect a human shape at a distance of one metre from the sides and three metres from the rear.
Countryside is working with Cheshire-based Safety Shield Global and national plant supplier Ardent Hire Solutions on the programme. Following trials last year, the technology is now being rolled out.
Countryside says that it is the first major house-builder to adopt these artificial intelligence cameras.
The Safety Shield records all video footage, collision alerts, driver behaviour, fatigue alerts, vehicle location and date and time of each alert. The system also benefits from global live streaming which enables the customer to look through any of the cameras in real time anywhere in the world at any time.
Health and safety director Michelle Dearsley said: “We feel this is a major and important step forward involving new technology, that will improve health and safety standards in the housebuilding sector. With the second highest number of fatalities in the construction sector in 2020 due to collisions with moving vehicles, the introduction of the proximity cameras on forklifts on all Countryside sites is a key stepping stone in preventing future accidents and keeping both our workforce and the community safe.”
Ardent chief executive Jeremy Fish said: “In the last two years Ardent has made considerable investment into several innovations that are transforming safety on construction sites. Intelligent proximity cameras and our partnership with Safety Shield Global is a great example of this and we are delighted to be working with Countryside on this extremely important initiative.”
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