Pro-Active-Real-Time Personnel Warning System

Abstract

Collisions between personnel on foot and heavy equipment or materials on a construction site can be characterized as a contact collision. These types of incidents are a common occurrence on a work site. Pro-active-real-time safety technology is needed to improve the safety of a work zone by alerting workers that they are in danger of collisions. Furthermore technology may assist to collect (previously unrecorded) data on "near-misses". This new approach can then lead to improve the overall safety performance in construction and elsewhere through improved learning and education by providing relevant information to decision makers at all levels. The technology that was developed and is presented in this paper uses the radio frequency wave spectrum to alert workers in real-time when they are in danger. Various experiments are described that have been conducted in order to gain better understanding of the technology's potential, including machine blind spots. Preliminary results are demonstrated and will conclude that this technology also has the capability of collecting important safety data while pro-actively detecting hazardous situations and warning workers and equipment operators of an imminent predicament.