Pedestrian Safety Systems are redefining how businesses enhance workplace safety with modern technology. Isolated mines, warehouses, and civil construction sites all have one thing in common: The risk heavy machinery poses to pedestrians. Forklifts, excavators, and dumpers to name a few. To combat this, two solutions are commonly utilised: RFID hardware and Artificial Intelligence Pedestrian Detection One has been around since the 1940s and the other sounds like a by-product of the Terminator’s ominous Skynet. We’ll discuss the advantages of both and debunk the latter (for concerned fans of the movie franchise).
RFID Hardware:
Let’s start with the acronym. RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. Objects can be embedded with data, readable by radio frequency. Depending on the reader, these objects can be detected wirelessly without direct line of sight. You’ve most likely encountered this technology in everyday life already. Using a key fob to enter a building, an automated toll on a highway or opening a garage door remotely. All activities require radio waves to transmit and identify objects.
In the context of Pedestrian Safety Systems, RFID tags worn with readers fitted to plant equipment. When a person breaches the low frequency field emitted by the reader, the RFID equipment is detected and an alert to the operator is triggered.
Advantages of RFID Pedestrian Safety Systems:
There are a few advantages to deploying RFID on your worksite:
- RFID doesn’t require direct line of sight to be detected. This allows the reader to detect personnel even if the operator has not seen them.
- Operators are instantly alerted if personnel are too close to a machine.
- RFID also has the ability to detect other machines or objects.
AI Pedestrian Detection:
This type of safety systems utilises computer vision, a form of artificial intelligence that enables a computer to identify and understand visual stimuli (such as people), make sense of what they see and take action. The idea is for the technology to replicate the human eye and brain. These computers are pre-programmed or “trained” to recognise humans through deep learning.
However, unlike Arnold Schwarzenegger, this AI-enabled technology is designed to detect humans and protect them from entering a dangerous proximity to machines. In the application of workplace safety, the technology can be incorporated into a camera. The accessibility of AI in recent years has seen an increase in Pedestrian Safety Systems (PSS) utilising computer vision.
Advantages of AI Pedestrian Safety Systems:
There are a number of advantages for safety managers (or disadvantages for cybernetic assassins) implementing AI-powered PSS:
- Eliminates human error by detecting all people in a workplace, without requiring them to be wearing tags .
- Real-time alerts are generated when a person enters a detection zone. Some have the ability to offer customisable detection zones to meet specific safety requirements, reducing false alerts.
- Modular systems can combine multiple cameras to provide 360º visibility and detection for large vehicles such as excavators.
Comparing The Two:
Pedestrian Safety Systems are just one type of engineering control. Ultimately, safety managers, operators and personnel should determine the specific site requirements and ensure processes are followed. That being said, if you are still undecided between the two, the following are some final thoughts:
- RFID is still impacted by human error. Personnel that forget to wear tags or site visitors that aren’t equipped with them are at risk of injury. AI PSS can detect humans at all times without a reliance on other technology.
- For high traffic worksites like warehouses, the location of RFID breaches won’t be provided to the operator which can be confusing. AI PSS provide visual and audible based warnings, reducing false alerts.
- Large workforces that utilise tag-based systems can be expensive. Providing a tag for every personnel and visitor, and replacing broken or lost devices. AI PSS is a one-off cost. Cameras and alerts are fitted to machines or stationary barriers to detect proximity breaches and prevent collisions.
