It should come as no surprise that airports are some of the busiest places in the world. More than four billion passengers take to the skies every year with more than 200,000 flights completed every day. Add to this the multi-billion bound cargo freight industry and its easy to see why the high volume of traffic in airports means that accidents inevitably occur.
However, Emily Hardy, a safety expert at Brigade Electronics UK suggests that workplace injuries and costly damage to equipment could be eliminated with on-board safety systems for airport vehicles.
“One estimate by the Flight Safety Foundation puts worldwide commercial airlines costs at £7.73 billion from ground-related incidents,” she says. “In the workplace, there are multiple hazards, from slips and trips to lifting injuries. One of the main risks is being struck by a vehicle. indeed, nearly half of injuries at airports are caused by collisions with moving vehicles.”
With airport vehicles frequently operating at all hours of the day and night and often in adverse weather conditions, the types of accidents that can happen include pedestrians and objects being struck due to vehicle blind spots or electrically-powered vehicles simply not being heard; inability to see pedestrians or co-workers due to adverse weather and night-time conditions; workers wearing ear defenders so not hearing approaching vehicles; and pedestrians disorientated by multiple tonal vehicle alarms.
Advances in technology mean that all these situations could be prevented with on-board vehicle safety systems, says Hardy. “Since its invention in the 1970s, all large vehicles, such as lorries are required to emit a reversing alarm as a basic safety mechanism. However, research has shown that the traditional ‘tonal’ alarm many of us are accustomed to hearing is not always effective.
“Workers wearing ear defenders may not hear it and it’s difficult to discover which direction the sound is coming from. The new generation of reversing alarms include Brigade’s own White Sound® frequencies, which are easier to hear and dissipate quickly – vital for a bustling airport and ideal for all types of vehicles and equipment.
“Radar detection systems can help to minimise damage and prevent injuries caused by collisions by alerting the driver to the distance between vehicles and obstacles, whether moving or stationary. Such technology is suitable for all conditions, including rain and snow, and is ideal for vehicles and large machinery manoeuvring at low speeds.
“Meanwhile, 360-degree cameras will completely eliminate the perennial problem of blind spots by providing a bird’s-eye view of the vehicle and its surroundings. This system can be used on a variety of airport vehicles, including vans, coaches and catering trucks.
“As airports continue to get busier, safety remains a number one priority. By utilising the latest vehicle safety technology, operators will be making a positive to enhancing standards and minimising deaths and injuries.”
