Posted: January 2020
Construction sites are hazardous places. Dangers from working at height, trips and falls, collapsing trenches, electricity issues and lack of visibility all combine to create a potentially dangerous working area, and risks associated with a mix of moving vehicles on uneven terrain are probably the main cause of incidents.
Of all commercial construction vehicles, site dumpers are one of the most high risk. A groundworker at a site in Essex was killed in October this year in a site dumper accident. The frequency with which they overturn prompted a UK pan-industry initiative earlier this year which is designed to raise awareness of the dangers and how best to mitigate them.
Risks include:
The majority of fatal injuries involving site dumpers are caused by overturning – over 60% of deaths involve the driver when the vehicle overturns. Most other deaths occur when pedestrians are struck by the dumper when it’s driving forwards on site due to the large blind spot caused by the bucket on the front of the vehicle. Safety systems are crucial for improving onsite visibility and safety.
Backsense® heavy duty radar systems are designed to detect people and objects in blind spots, providing drivers with visual and audible warnings. They work effectively in all weathers and dusty environments, and have a waterproof display, so are ideal for construction sites. As the front blind spot on a site-dumper is the hazard, a forward-facing radar in combination with a camera monitor system ensures the driver is alerted to any objects or people in the danger zone and can stop in time to prevent an accident.
Lynch recently trialled Brigade’s radar and camera monitoring safety solutions with resounding success, agreeing to install our IP69K Water and Dust Proof System to site dumpers across the south-east.
If you run a construction fleet and use site dumpers regularly, get in touch to find out how we can help make your building site a safer place.
