Rail contractor adopts proximity alert armbands

Railway contractor QTS is rolling out wearable technology that should prevent workers being hit by vehicles on site.

Zonr proximity warning strapswill be work by worn by all QTS workers, the company saysQTS is adopting Zonr, a smart armband that creates virtual exclusion zones to alert workers to nearby machinery risks.

After an initial trial, QTS has decided to use it on all of its UK sites.

Zonr has been developed by asset tracking Pathfindr as an evolution of it Safe Distancing Assistant, a wearable device developed in 2020 to support social distancing during the initial Covid-19 pandemic outbreak.

Zonr alerts workers through a proximity alarm when a vehicle or other hazard comes close. It provides real-time data over incursions, enabling interventions to be made in the moment, as well as providing data to enable site safety processes to be improved.

QTS founder and managing director Alan McLeish said: “Initial trials have gone extremely well, and we’ve been able to clearly demonstrate the simplicity and functionality of the system. Work sites are fast-moving, dynamic environments, and through using this system to automatically alert workers to dangers, we’re highly confident we can further improve safety across our sites.” Pathfindr chief Rob Grahamslaw (left) and QTS md Alan McLeish Pathfindr chief executive Rob Grahamslaw said: “The first real-world test for Zonr is a major milestone and we’re very pleased that QTS Group has committed to using it to improve health and safety across its sites. No technology will ever guarantee safety but Zonr has been designed with the user in mind, enabling better decision making and alerting workers to dangers as soon as they arise. We look forward to working with more organisations to help improve their worker safety.”