Clearway Technology, with partner Loci-Labs, has developed a new automated AI powered edge and cloud-based PPE detection service which can be deployed with its range of rapidly deployable Technology Towers or via clients’ existing IP CCTV systems.
The new system provides real-time detection and notification to Clearway’s cloud-based analytics platform which can provide statistics, automated email notifications and near miss reporting accompanied by snapshots of the non-compliant wearing of hard hats, hi-visibility trousers or hi-visibility vest or jackets.
The system can easily be tailored to monitor the minimum PPE requirements of a specific site, whether that is full PPE or just hard hat and jackets only. Detection zones can also be implemented to mitigate false positive alerts for areas where PPE is not required.
This launch comes at a time when injuries to construction workers are on the rise and reducing the risk is even more important.
According to the HSE, there were 39 fatal injuries to workers in 2020/21. This is in comparison with the annual average number of 36 fatalities for 2016/17-2020/21p.
There are 61,000 non-fatal injuries to workers each year averaged over the three-year period 2018/19-2020/21. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the rate of self-reported non- fatal injury to workers showed a downward trend. The rate for the latest period, which includes years affected by the coronavirus pandemic, is not statistically significantly different from the previous period.
On the highways network, National Highways recorded 188 incursions into traffic management through its internal reporting system – now known as HART – in the month of February 2022 alone, according to Safer Highways.
National Highways statistics show that the majority of incursions have occurred on major projects, many of which are involved in heavily urban areas such around cities (Birmingham, Manchester and London), both of which are long established hot spots due to the convergence of a number of SRN roads.
Speaking about the addition of PPE module to the company’s Technology Tower, Simon Waterfall, General Manager (Highways) at Clearway Technology said: “PPE is there to protect our workers, the impact to the person involved if not wearing it, or wearing incorrect PPE, is potentially fatal and there is definitely a high risk of injury but also, companies have to ask themselves what the impact is on them as an employer?”
Provisional figures for 2020/21p show a total of 1,260 notices issued by HSE inspectors in Construction.
There were 76 prosecution cases led by HSE or, in Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal5 where a verdict was reached in 2020/21, resulting in:
• 66 (87%) with a conviction for at least one offence;
• £5.3 million in total fines averaging around £80,000 per conviction.
In 2019/20 there were 144 cases resulting in 138 convictions (96%). This led to £7.8 million in total fines and average fines of around £57,000
Simon Waterfall goes on to say: “People often prefer to keep quiet than get one of their colleagues into trouble for not wearing the correct PPE, our solution takes that problem away and will not only help keep workers safe but allow companies to assess where there might be a need for immediate improvements in relation to behaviours and the provision of their PPE.”
Understanding the benefits of PPE as well as liability insurance for your business can be tremendously impactful in reducing the risk of injury and claims in the construction sector.
Wearing the correct PPE not only reduces workplace injury which in turn means a reduction in absence, it helps companies avoid prosecutions, fines, and legal fees.
Clearway Technology’s inView Technology Tower is a swift to deploy mobile technology tower for instant CCTV and video analytics, stopped vehicle detection, alarm systems, air quality monitoring and more.
The solar-powered tower can be delivered and located in minutes and is remotely configured and monitored, taking away the dangers of having operatives in live carriageways. Its remote 4G connectivity also removes the necessity for civil engineering dependent cabled infrastructure. As the towers are fully mobile and solar powered, they can be deployed within a couple of weeks for a project comprising over 150 towers at 500m intervals, for example. This saves many weeks of preliminary work on site that a semi-permanent solution requires. The savings using the Clearway approach are in the £m’s on a project of this size.
Ross Bullerwell MD of NY Highways was keen to innovate at NY Highways when it was set up to serve the highway maintenance requirements of North Yorkshire County Council and he wanted to understand what the cameras and the analytics could offer the business.
Mr Bullerwell said “We were excited to work in partnership with Clearway to see how their offering might enhance the safety of our operatives within our depot environments. The original scope of discussions have allowed for different applications to be deployed and other applications to be created as the trial progressed. It has been a very worthwhile programme that we are delighted to have contributed to and a great safety innovation for working depots and semi permanent sites.”
Photo Credit – Courtesy of NY Highways
