Eurovia Surfacing is introducing a new standard on site safety for the construction and highways industry by becoming the first contractor in the UK and Europe to deploy BOMAG 174 rollers equipped with both Safety Shield AI human detection and BOMAG’s Emergency Brake Assist System.
Launched during Eurovia’s International Safety Week on a high-profile surfacing scheme in Hertfordshire, this next-generation fleet marks a significant shift towards intelligent plant innovation in surfacing delivery. The dual-system setup combines world leading AI human detection software from Safety Shield and automatic braking capabilities from BOMAG to prevent collisions and protect both operatives and the public.
“We believe this is the future of plant safety,” said Paul Kidd, Development Director at Eurovia. “These intelligent rollers are not only innovative, they’re essential.”
The Safety Shield technology operates via strategically mounted sensors that monitor two distinct safety zones around the machine: a 5-metre caution zone and a 2-metre critical zone. When movement is detected in these zones, the system triggers real-time alerts both inside the cab and externally. An additional red ‘Safety Shield halo’ light on the ground provides operatives with a clear, immediate visual warning, for night working helping to reduce risk even when attention is focused on the task at hand.
BOMAG’s proactive Emergency Brake Assist system reliably identifies potentially hazardous situations at an early stage, even in poor visibility conditions. If a person fails to exit the danger zone or an obstacle is detected in the roller’s path, it slows down automatically, halting if necessary. The roller will then continue at its original pre-defined speed once the person or object has left the critical area. Only people or obstacles that are in the rollers drum direction will activate the system ensuring that no unnecessary interventions are initiated.
Developed with input from site teams, the system has been praised by Eurovia’s teams for its practicality and impact. “It’s the perfect machine, something we should have on every site,” Justin Willis, Site Foreman, commented.
(Pic: Eurovia)
