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The new Smart Zone card reader system
from AFI improves safety and security for
contractors and operators of Mobile Elevating
Work Platforms (MEWPs) by controlling
access to the machines. Launched in
association with Infobric, the system provides
the following benefits:
- Contractors have full control over who
operates what type of MEWPs on site.
This means that only those people who
have received accredited operator training
for the specific machine type in question
are able to operate that machine.
- Contractors benefit from increased security
because if a machine is unattended it
cannot be used by a different,
unauthorised, contractor working on the
same site.
- Main contractors and sub contractors can
provide sole access or multi user access
to a machine by designating who they
want to operate a particular machine.
- The Smart Zone system enables
contractors to save money and further
increase safety and security through the
sharing of machines, thereby reducing the
overall number of machines on a site.
- Smart Zone provides a visible audit trail
of machine usage, making sharing easy to
organise. Not only does the system show
who has used a machine but it also shows
who may have tried to use it without
authorisation.
- To unlock the machine, the operator swipes
an IPAF Smart PAL Card (or other
approved Smart Card) across an Infobric
unit mounted on the machine. In a further
safety measure, there is a customer option
for the machine still not to unlock until the
operator has confirmed that he/she has
carried out pre-use inspection checks.
- Smart Zone does not interact in any way
with the machine’s ground controls,
auxiliary systems or emergency lowering
systems. Therefore in an emergency
rescue, manoeuvring of the machine would
still be able to take place at the ground
controls in the normal manner.
Smart Zone card readers have been fitted
to machines working on the construction
of a catering village at the Carillion Media
Hub in London. Feedback on the card
readers from those involved has been very
positive:
Sean Rath, Carillion Integrated
Management Systems Adviser: “The
potential of the system is endless. For
example, if a MEWP operator goes from
one Carillion site to another we could use
the system to check with the database that
he has had the familiarisation training for
the machines he would be operating on
the next site. We can also keep a log of
all the training that he’s completed on a
site, such as behavioural safety training.
The main benefit of this system to 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.”
Mark Pniewski, SJP Contracts Director:
“When you are hiring plant you don’t want
someone from another company using your
machine and 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: “The most exciting aspect of this
system is that when we leave a machine
overnight or during a weekend, we know
that no-one else will be using it. We will
certainly be looking at rolling this out to
other sites nationally.”
  
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