By Jenny Olsen, Product Manager – Productivity Services, Volvo Construction Equipment
Operating heavy equipment comes with more inherent risks for workers in construction, roadbuilding, mining and aggregate production compared to most other industries.
As a result, safety is a top priority for many contractors.
Jobsite safety is critical to worker health and well-being. It also plays a big role in project timelines and costs in the form of medical bills, worker’s compensation, lost productivity and potential jobsite shutdowns.
The good news is t the latest technologies and machine design advancements can help reduce site risks and improve worker safety.
There has been a shift from passive safety measures like basic alarms to more proactive technologies and machine features that help address such common jobsite hazards as ground/overhead utility contact, machine rollovers and slip-and-fall risks.
Machine control
Jobsites are often busy, crowded places. Some of the latest technologies help operators better navigate these environments and avoid potential hazards.
Automated machine guidance systems can protect your crew and equipment by helping operators avoid underground hazards, prevent overhead contact, limit machine reach and protect their surroundings. Operators can set boundary limits to reduce the chance of striking overhead power lines or buried cables, for example. Swing fence capabilities are another tool to help keep operators within safe zones and avoid people and side obstacles like traffic, buildings or other machines.
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On select excavators, Volvo Active Control is a feature that helps keep workers safe by removing manual grade checks. They can also use technology to establish an invisible barrier that prevents the bucket from contacting the cab, reducing the risk of equipment damage.
Many excavator control systems provide onboard guidance to track excavator bucket position in real time and measure grade from within the cab. This eliminates the need for operators to constantly stop the machine, climb out, manually check the grade with a laser or rod, then climb back in the machine.
Keeping operators in the cab not only reduces the risks of slip-and-fall accidents as they get in and out — it also keeps them out of the trenches to measure grade. This reduces a significant safety hazard, since a collapsed trench can result in operator injury or death.
Too much weight in a haul truck is another issue that can be a significant safety hazard. Onboard weighing and assist software solutions help operators avoid overloading haul trucks, preventing machine tipping or frame damage.
Smart visibility
On a busy site, operators may worry about injuring someone, damaging the machine or property. Smart visibility systems help operators focus on the work while the technology looks out for safety hazards.
Integrated camera-radar systems and 360-degree bird’s-eye view camera technology provide complete visibility of a machine’s surroundings, going beyond traditional blind-spot mirrors to help detect potential risks. These systems can differentiate between stationary objects and site workers and offer customized alert zones for better responsiveness in tight, congested environments.
Better visibility and awareness tools, such as 360-degree cameras, can help prevent fatal accidents on jobsites.
Connected Map is a service from Volvo that allows operators to see each other on a real-time map inside the machine cab, improving their awareness of people’s location on the jobsite. This tool also provides geo-fenced speed limits and restricted zones to help improve safety.
Telematics and operator coaching
Telematics and active monitoring systems are other ways to detect risk on the jobsite. They help identify trends or behaviors that may contribute to an unsafe environment. Advanced systems can detect behavior like swinging heavy loads too quickly, which can cause a machine to tip.
Alerting operations to these trends allows them to implement targeted operator training to correct the issues and prevent incidents before they happen.
Remote control
Some of today’s machines come with the option of short-range remote control that allows equipment to be operated from a safe distance. This is a good feature to have when work must be done on high-risk or difficult jobsites, like steep slopes, unstable ground or where there’s a risk of falling objects. It’s also useful when operators need to keep a close eye on the tool attached to the excavator, particularly for piling and drilling applications.
An advanced short-range remote-control solution from Volvo CE and CE Engineering Solutions can operate at a more than 100-metre distance. Two-way communication via a radio transmitter and radio receiver allows the operator to communicate electronically with the machine. The system can be turned on and off via a switch inside the cab, and a light beacon on the outside of the machine alerts others on-site as to whether the remote operation mode is in use.
Machine design
Beyond technology advancements, physical machine design plays a big role in improving jobsite safety. Some machine features to look for include:
- Strategic placement of cab pillars and expanded glass areas to maximize operators’ line of sight and visibility.
- A lower hood design on articulated dump trucks, along with additional LED lights to enhance the field of vision.
- High-visibility handrails — in high-contrast orange, for example — and anti-slip walking platforms that can help reduce slips, trips and falls during inspection or when getting in and out of the machine.
- Safety harness clips and dedicated anchor points on ADTs to help improve safety during window cleaning or other routine maintenance.
- Electronically retractable ladders that automatically interlock with machine controls to prevent swinging or movement while deployed.
Prioritize safety
Reversing the high rate of jobsite injuries and fatalities requires moving beyond basic compliance to systematically eliminate hazards before they occur. Equipping crews with advanced tools and safer machine designs helps reduce those risks at the source, ensuring every worker returns home safely at the end of the shift.
Investing in operator safety goes beyond immediate risk reduction. It can also yield long-term value in the form of protecting skilled workers as the industry faces labour shortages while also reducing costs and potential delays.
Today’s technology and machine features show that speed and productivity don’t have to come at the expense of worker safety.
