19.11.2012
A 360 degree anti-entrapment device
Paul Richards owner of UK and Middle East based access company Hi-Reach has launched a new anti-entrapment device under the name SkyAlert.
The device uses a beam to provide a warning to the operator that they are entering a potentially dangerous situation in terms of proximity to an obstacle, allowing them time to assess their working environment before contact is made.
The system, for which a patent has been applied, uses two main sensors and a secondary one, works in a similar way to the bumper fitted reversing alarms now almost standard of cars. The two main sensors provide the main safety zone coverage, but in testing a very narrow ‘dead area’ was found in the centre of larger platforms so a third sensor was added.
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The final prototype of the SkyAlert system, the fitted units will be wired internally
According to Richards the system, which has been on test since April, will not interfere with manufacturers' safety systems or controls and will be available as a built in device of for retro-fit to almost any type of aerial lift platform.
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The SkyAlert 'box' fits to the main control box
The system will be offered by a new stand-alone company and will be freely available to any rental company, manufacturer, or end user who is interested.
“Our research and development into anti-entrapment has focused on the wider issue, and an accident-prevention system which will hopefully aid the avoidance of entrapment not just at the controls but in as many situations and eventualities as possible. The idea - simple as it sounds - is to prevent a potential entrapment accident occurring in the first place,” said Richards.
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Whichever side of the fence you sit on the previous comment must have put a smile on your face, John, not bad for a Monday morning.
On a more serious note, comments have been made several times on previous posts regarding the ‘cause’ of entrapment, however further discussion in the area has been limited.
With out access to hard data I can only make assumptions, but would I be right in assuming that all incidents involving overhead entrapment has occurred in ‘boom’ type platforms and on each occasion the operator has had their back turned to the direction of boom travel / hazard?
Has their been any recorded incidents of entrapment in vertical lifts (i.e: Scissor Lifts) where in most cases the control box can be detached and repositioned to suit the operators optimum vision of view as well as being positioned lower than the platform rail sides?
Are there any reasons I have overlooked why this could not also be applied to the next generation of booms?
Dog eat Dog
I have heard there is another system called Skynet developed by a company called Cyberdyne Systems. It was first built as an International Protection Against Foresight and given command over all access platforms. The strategy behind Skynet's creation was to remove the possibility of human error and slow reaction time to guarantee a fast, efficient response to overhead obstacles.
The intelligent system was originally installed by a company to control all of its boom lifts and it began to learn exponentially. It finally gained self-awareness and the panicking operators, realizing the extent of its abilities, tried to deactivate it. Skynet perceived this as an attack and came to the conclusion that all operators need to be controlled in some way and should have no input themselves.
Company after company tried to defend themselves with their own systems until it came to head in an event that came to be known as Judgment Day, the 21st November, Sofitel Hotel, Terminator 5.