| The smart PAL card has to be swiped through a card reader before the machine can be used |
The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) has been working closely with AFI on the launch of the system and operators who are authorised by site managers for particular machines will be given prototypes of IPAF’s smart PAL Card containing their details.
To unlock the machine, the operator swipes the card across an Infobric unit mounted near the control box. In a further safety measure, there is a customer option for the machine still not to unlock until the operator has confirmed that he has carried out pre-use inspection checks.
A number of the card readers have been fitted to aerial lifts working on the construction of a catering village which will serve 60,000 meals a day to journalists visiting the Carillion Media Hub in London. The catering village is being built by Premier Interlink and installed and fitted out by their sub-contractors SJP Contracts.
“The main benefit of this system for Carillion is to prevent unauthorised use. We have 250 MEWPs at work on the Media Hub and the Smart Zone system can prevent unauthorised use of any machine it’s fitted on. There have been incidents throughout the UK where people have been hit by a machine or a vehicle that was being driven by someone who was not authorised to use it,” he added.
Andrew Baulch, of SJP Contracts, one of the first powered access machine operators in the UK to use the Smart Zone system, said: “The system is fantastic because no-one else can use your machine. It’s not unusual when you are working on a site with other companies around you for someone to use your unit when you’re not there.”
Baulch’s comments are echoed by SJP contracts director Mark Pniewski, who said: “When you are hiring plant you don’t want someone from another company using your machine and your diesel, possibly damaging it and risking injury to themselves and other people because they have not had the training required to operate it. This new system will prevent this type of thing happening, so it can only be good for the industry.”
Dave Denton, Premier Interlink project manager added: “The most exciting aspect of this system is that when we leave a machine overnight or a weekend, we know that no-one else will be using it. We will certainly be looking at rolling this out to other sites on a national basis”.
Austin Baker, director of AFI’s Health, Safety and Environmental Quality (HSEQ) department, summed up the feedback: "AFI is delighted with the positive feedback we have received about the Smart Zone system. Everyone from the operator through to the main contractor has recognised the important safety and security benefits that the system brings."
Giles Councell, IPAF director of operations, has the final word: “IPAF is testing and developing the smart PAL Card, focusing on the technology behind the system and on the safety aspect as a tool to control access to machines. We appreciate the support our members are giving to trial this innovative project and look forward to further testing. The PAL Card is going smart and we are looking at integrating future functions such as tracking familiarisation and logging operator experience.”
Source: http://www.vertikal.net/en/news/story/13310/
