Worker safety was top of mind when tech pioneer Rombit designed its Collision Avoidance solution. Today it makes many sites a safer place to work, but many companies have also come to embrace this solution’s other compelling OpEx benefits. Equipment analytics is one of the more prolific.
Man-to-machine AND machine-to-man
Rombit’s Collision Avoidance solution provides pedestrians and drivers with real-time and accurate notifications of imminent collision incidents. For example, on a site where on-foot workers and forklifts operate in the same area, a smart badge and a vehicle-mounted device will clearly define the appropriate safe, warning, and danger zones for both pedestrians and drivers. The result: a proven and significant decrease in accidents.
However, the device affixed to the forklift possesses the capacity for much greater functionality. To begin with, it facilitates equipment analytics, enabling organizations to unlock previously untapped, and often critical, information. This, in turn, allows insights throughout the entirety of the material handling operation, irrespective of the vehicle’s make or age. Essentially, it effectively transforms your equipment into smart, interconnected devices, resulting in heightened efficiency and improved activity scheduling. And the benefits don’t end there.
Exact data for superior equipment analytics
Since every vehicle is continuously monitored and tracked, a comprehensive quantity of data is collected. Smart filters distill exact figures to help further optimize resource patterns. It creates easy access to the exact periods each vehicle has been idle or in use, as well as distances traveled. Providing fact-based insights in efficiency as well as the need for maintenance. Furthermore, an increasing number of organizations utilize this data to enhance fuel and energy efficiency while concurrently reducing their carbon footprint.
Driver behavior
The ability to monitor and collect accurate and objective data on driver behavior benefits all parties. From management and HSEQ to driver and Human Resources. Speeding, sharp turning, lane crossing, excessive acceleration or braking… factual data on individual driving behavior feeds directly into driver coaching and ultimately a safer, more efficient worksite. It also provides an unbiased clarity for driver evaluations and after-incident investigations.
Unknown hotspots
The always-on location tracking of every vehicle allows for the visualization of traffic density, often through spaghetti diagrams. These have proven themselves invaluable in exposing formerly unknown high-risk areas. Prompting preventive measures before the inevitable incident or accident forces reactive measures.
Yes, ‘that’ near-miss!
Every near-miss should be reported. If you still have doubts, here is why no organization can afford not to do so. Unfortunately, in reality, a lot of near misses are ignored in various ways. Often, their importance or potential severity is downplayed, underestimated, or simply deemed ‘not worth the paperwork’. Real-time and continuous tracking can provide safety managers with precise data regarding the number of incidents, their locations, and the actors involved in these near misses. It can also shed light on the unsafe behaviors that contribute to these incidents.
Human and surface diagnostics
Not only speed, location, acceleration, braking, and turning are registered. A top-tier vehicle-mounted device like Rombit’s takes note of potholes and bumps in driving surfaces, badly designed loading docks, or improper dock leveler/loading ramp discipline. All of these factors have a detrimental impact on vehicle wear and tear and can potentially lead to health issues for drivers. Gaining a clear understanding of the frequency and severity of incidents where both man and machine are affected will serve as a strong motivator for implementing remedial strategies.