FEATURED

HRS EXHIBIT AT RAIL LIVE UK 2019

HRS exhibited for the first time at this year’s Rail Live. The event which took place on recently at Quinton Rail Technology Centre, Warwickshire, is the only exhibition bringing the entire rail industry together in a real railway environment, with over 200 exhibitors and 6000 visitors each year.

HRS demonstrated how the use of technology enabled traffic management solutions can protect workers and the travelling public during the maintenance, repair and renewals of railway assets and the roads that cross them.

INCURSION PREVENTION AND MITIGATION

Their Incursion, Prevention and Mitigation (IPM) system significantly increases levels of safety for the workforce by detecting and alerting them to a breach in the work-zone. Motion sensitive Intellicone traffic cone lamps detect unauthorised movement and activate an audible alarm to deter the intruder from entering the work site.

Wireless monitoring of each work-zone enables all the work sites to be viewed on a live operations map through their portal. Their platform enables live and historic views across all locations, such as level crossings. All incursion data is subsequently available and may be used to generate historical incursion maps and site-specific safety information prior to works taking place.

These systems have been shown to reduce site incursions by members of the public by 50% whilst also increasing the working window.

MOBILE CUSTOMER SUPPORT TERMINAL

Also being showcased at the event was their Mobile Customer Support (MCS) Terminal. This digitally enabled interactive terminal provides members of the public with a method of seeking support and communicating with the site team, safely and without entering a work-zone. During a shift the Controller of Site Safety (COSS) is provided with a Portable Site Alarm (PSA) which geo locates the level crossing and the work site. Members of the public who wish to raise the attention of the COSS can then use the MCS Terminal, remotely activating an alert on the COSS’s PSA. Authorised personnel and emergency services that require access/ escorting through the work-zone can also gain access safely using the ‘escort’ mode on the PSA.

In the event that a closure is in place over a prolonged period, the MCS Terminal will automatically contact a designated phone number, enabling relevant information and support to be provided to the public directly.

The MCS Terminal is geo-located and self-configures when places in the perimeter of a pre-defined work site. It is fully rechargeable and may be combined with external battery packs for long lasting operation. The terminal can be quickly assembled by traffic management operatives and the information boards may be customised accordingly.

MCS Terminals are currently in use across the UK in different infrastructure projects. Their use has been shown to improve safety with members of the public less likely to enter a work site, and by reducing levels of aggression and confrontation against on-site personnel.

For more Information visit www.highwayresourse.co.uk

Or call us on +44 (0) 800 206 13 19

HRS | Intellicone Smart Closure System prevents incursion on A36 Steeple Langford

Contractors working on recent resurfacing works on the A36 near Steeple Langford avoided a vehicle incursion, thanks to the Intellicone Smart Closure System.

At 8:50PM a vehicle approached TM Operatives at the works access point. The driver ignored diversion instructions and instead accelerated towards the operatives with the aim of entering and passing through the site. In response, one of the Operatives immediately triggered the warning systems audio-visual alarm, instantly alerting the workforce located inside the road closure. The alarm also deterred the driver from travelling any further. The incident was reported, the authorities alerted and the driver’s registration noted. Thankfully the Intellicone Smart Closure system avoided an incursion, in turn preventing potential injury to the workforce.

“Whilst we strive to prevent and avoid this kind of incident, it’s a great example of the kit doing its job! This incursion warning system is the way of the future for the dual benefit of safety to the both the travelling public and road workers. When Chevron first used this system, we noticed a significant reduction of incursions, proving we were moving in the right direction combat errant vehicles” – Matt West (General Manager Chevron Traffic Management).

What is Intellicone Smart Road Closure?

The HRS Smart Closure system gives an instant warning to the workforce in the case of errant vehicles entering a work-zone, whilst helping to remove Traffic Management Personnel from areas of potential confrontation. The system is also used to provide secondary alerts to workers when authorised non-works vehicles require access (i.e. emergency vehicles, gritters and escorted vehicles).

This system is now proven and documented as industry best practise in the recently updated Highways England Raising the Bar 27 document.

Why use it?

Vehicle incursions are one of the highest risks that road workers are exposed to. Over the past decade several fatalities have been recorded and more than 1,700 vehicle incursions were reported during 2018. It is nearly impossible to completely eliminate the risk of an errant vehicle entering a road closure. Intellicone Smart Closure System provides a crucial warning if all other measures fail whilst also providing the tools to manage the whole site digitally and more efficiently.

For enquiries please contact:

Email: Roger Poeth – roger.poeth@highwayresource.com |

Phone: +44 (0)800 206 13 19 | Or visit: http://highwayresource.co.uk/

HRS and Carnell working collaboratively to Raise the Bar

Following the recent publication of the Highways England ‘Raising the Bar 27: Managing TTM Incursions’ HRS and Carnell have teamed up to further enhance road worker safety. The collaboration will ensure that technology behind HRS’s Intellicone SMART Closure Incursion Warning System and Carnell’s SAFETYcam mobile CCTV van can now interact seamlessly. When both complementary systems are used, site workers can feel safe knowing that should an errant vehicle enter the closure, they will receive an immediate warning, whilst being confident in knowing high quality evidence of the incursion will be passed on to enable potential future prosecution. The integration of technology also means clients can benefit from remote monitoring of the location and working status of both systems on their sites through a single web portal/mobile app and automated combined shift/incursion reporting.

Darren Nelson (Carnell) and Roger Poeth (HRS) at the recent Traffex event

Both of the award winning innovations are documented as best practice in Highways England’s ‘Raising the Bar 27: Managing TTM incursions’ see https://lnkd.in/di7FD_p for information

HRS Raise the Bar with Smart Safety Technology

Highways England’s recent released ‘Raising the Bar 27 Guidelines’ (Managing Temporary Traffic Management Incursions) highlights the important contribution of smart safety technology in helping to prevent and mitigate vehicle incursions into roadworks. As a direct response to these requirements, HRS’s Smart Closure system is now widely available for use across the Strategic Road Network.

The revised guidance for industry best practice is based on the outcome of a recent Highways England study which concluded that “the warning functionality of Intellicone will provide a much faster and more reliable means of informing road workers of a vehicle incursion than traditional methods (e.g. mobile phone/text-based broadcast message to others working in the area). The benefits of this type of system can provide significant benefit to the mitigation of all types of incursion risks”.

Vehicle incursions are one of the highest risks that road workers are exposed to. Over the past 10 years several fatalities have been recorded and more 1,700 vehicle incursions were reported during 2018.

Smart Closure System Benefits:

A real time incursion warning system that instantly alerts the workforce in of an errant vehicle incursion
Electronically monitored & alarmed road closure points, removing Traffic Management personnel from areas of potential confrontation
Alerts the workforce to non-works vehicles passing through the works area (i.e. emergency vehicles, gritters, escorted vehicles etc), enhancing safety and improving efficiency
Remote two-way communication with local residents requiring access via Smart Portable Intercom, enabling road users to communicate Traffic Management personnel Smart Closure System Benefits:

Highways England’s recent released ‘Raising the Bar 27 Guidelines’ (Managing Temporary Traffic Management Incursions) highlights the important contribution of smart safety technology in helping to prevent and mitigate vehicle incursions into roadworks. As a direct response to these requirements, HRS’s Smart Closure system is now widely available for use across the Strategic Road Network.

‘We have worked closely with the industry and Highways England to demonstrate the benefits of embracing intuitive technology to help reduce and where this is not possible safely manage errant vehicle incursions. Our systems are easy to use and have a proven track record in enabling safer sites whilst also helping to improve efficiency and road user experience’
– Roger Poeth, Managing Director

For information email: Info@HighwayResource.com

HRS Win Prestigious CIHT Innovation Award 2018

Unauthorised vehicles entering a vehicle incursion zone are extremely dangerous to road workers and other road users. Smart Taper monitors temporary traffic management enabling an instant and informed response to taper strikes. it reports strikes immediately allowing for the speedy removal of the hazard.

CIHT/Ringway Innovation Award
This award is for innovative problem solving within highways and transportation that encourages imaginative concepts and excellence.

SMART TAPER
Kier Highways Ltd & Highway Resource Solutions Ltd (HRS)

Kier and HRS collaborated on a pilot to develop an innovative digital service – Smart Taper – with the potential to revolutionise how industry manages traffic management (TM).
Taper Strikes pose a serious risk to road users and road workers, with current industry practice to inspect the integrity of TM on a routine basis (normally every two hours), meaning that unsafe tapers can be left exposed for unacceptable lengths of time.
Smart Taper monitors the integrity of cone tapers and immediately reports strikes directly to TM crews.
For the first time, this technology can also interface with Highways England’s Schedule of Roadworks (SRW/NOMS) system. In addition, TM controllers and designers can view deployments on live mapping interfaces and use automated reports about on/off times and working windows, which provides intelligence-led decisions and delivers more efficient schemes of work. Smart Taper has been deployed more than 2,000 times in Area 9 and is fully embraced by the Area 9 TM team. Due to the success of the pilot, it is being rolled out across Kier contracts.
Smart Taper is under development to allow autonomous vehicles to navigate road works safely, based upon the exact locations of cone barriers and the first/last roadworks signs.

‘The Judges were impressed by the entry’s well thought through, proven practical applications – enhancing safety for road users and road workers, especially through early alert systems. it addresses the riskiest elements of working on the highway, by reducing the risk of human error throughout the traffic management cycle – deployment, operations and removal. it also potentially automates notifications, enabling rapid response to changing situations. There is clear potential for much wider application across highway related works. it also provides auditable assurance to clients, CDM holders and management. ” – Judges Comments

Smart Safety Technology Proves Its Value

The Intellicone® Safelane real time incursion warning system is celebrating its second anniversary this month. Since its launch it has been used on over 4,000 sites demonstrating significant safety and efficiency benefits to contractors & highway authorities across the UK and internationally. The value of such a real time warning system has now been formally recognised and underlined by Highways England in their latest (July 2016) Raising the Bar document (Managing Temporary Traffic Management Incursions).

Primarily designed to instantly warn the workforce of a temporary traffic management breach regardless of location and distance, the system has also demonstrated that it is possible to deploy fewer traffic management operatives (TMO) whilst enhancing safety. The latter has resulted in significant net cost savings on some road closures. Not only is this a major financial benefit, it also takes TMOs out of harm’s way, the primary objective. The safety benefits are profound with one Site Supervisor claiming it almost certainly prevented serious harm to his workforce during a dangerous errant vehicle incursion on the A14 in November 2015. A Traffic Management Foreman on the M25 J30 A13 Widening Project claims it is life saving technology and has helped safeguard workers inside the closure on multiple occasions, “Safelane has proved its worth on two separate occasions now, without it who knows what would have happened with regards to injuries or even fatalities”. To put this in perspective, on this particular scheme there were over 40 cases where motorists deliberately ignored road closure signs in 2015 alone.

Safelane is easy to deploy and comes with Wearable Panic Alarms for TMOs manning works access points alongside an integrated incident triggered camera. If an errant vehicle were to forcefully enter the site or even by mistake, the TMOs are able to alert the workforce instantly with the simple press of a button regardless of distance whilst incident footage is recorded. Despite best efforts in reducing the risk of incursions to an absolute minimum it is impossible to completely eliminate the risk of an errant vehicle entering a temporary worksite. Enabling TMOs to instantly alert the workforce is therefore a major safety enhancement and important tool.

A second part of the system is the electronically alarmed full closure point which detects any unauthorised entry remotely. It consists of Intellicone® Dorman cone lamps which can detect motion and Portable Site Alarm technology. This brings an added deterrent effect to people attempting unauthorised access at full closure points. This has proven on dozens of occasions to significantly reduce incursions by opportunistic road users both on the Strategic Road Network and in rural settings. Deterring incursions in this way also significantly reduced the potential for TMOs to be the subject of abuse or even violence, an increasing problem. If an errant driver were to proceed to enter site a manned internal checkpoint can be installed ahead of the work area which will receive an alert and can act as a secondary barrier to stop the errant vehicle from getting to the work area. If this is not the case the alarm can be instantly escalated to the workforce. Such a checkpoint could potentially manage multiple closure points in a safe and efficient manner. Being primarily a tool for TMOs to enhance safety for themselves and the workforce operating within the closure it is therefore no surprise that workers are feeling safer working inside road closure with a real time warning system in place:

“The work crews feel safer on site thanks to the Safelane system, as they know that there are some drivers who just don’t care!”, Local Authority Contracts Manager. The analogy is simple: ‘it is pretty much a smoke alarm, you may even forget it is there but you definitively don’t want to go without it!’

Exclusion Zone Technology Proves its Value on the M5

Dawson Wam – M5 J4A-6 Smart Motorway Project

Dawson Wam was awarded the contract for the installation of permanent sheet piled retaining walls and king post walls for the M5 J4a-6 Smart Motorway project.

Piles are generally installed to significant depths into mudstone, and into sandstones in the northern quarter of the site. To ensure the site was kept safe, Dawson Wam used Highway Resource Solutions “Dual Sentry Beams”.

The Dual Sentry Beams were adopted as part of a quest for a continual improvements. The beams were trialled on the project alongside conventional systems .

Having been designed to work in a similar method to the Portable Site Alarm, when the beam is broken, the alarm on the Dual Sentry is activated which alerts operatives of a workzone breach.

As the Dual Sentry beam is so loud, it is ideal for operatives working in on-site heavy machinery, such as cranes and piling rigs.

The trials were so successful, the client’s team wish to employ the Dual Sentry Beams site wide on future projects

Preventing an incursion on the A180

Central reservation works – Great Coates to Pyewipe

“On the East entry slip road, the Intellicone enabled cone lamps were moved by a motorist activating the local alarm and the Checkpoint alarm. The local alarm acted as a deterrent and the motorist moved on without entering site”

The Safelane incursion system was innovatively used on the A180 by Aone+ Area 12. The system which consisted of a full closure point (Yellow Alarm and Intellicone cone lamps), 1 Check Point (Orange Alarm, Panic Alarm & CCTV) and 1 workforce alarm (Blue Alarm), was used overnight as a pre-works scheme, to allow safe implementation of the daytime network traffic management, site materials and plant.

The Check Point was positioned to receive an alarm from the full closure point if this was breached and a sa secondary safety stop ahead of the workforce. The fact that the Check Point was manned allowed the Operative to assess the situation and only alert the work force (Blue Alarm) if necessary. During the incident as outlined the motorist was deterred from proceeding hence the Check Point crew only needed to reinstate the traffic management at the closure point.

“The system was easy to set up”.- TM Operative Area 12

“With Safelane in place, there was no need to man the entry slip, saving on man power”.- TM Supervisor Area 12

“It gives greater confidence working inside the closure”.- TM Operative Area 12

“The closure is more secure from the public”.- TM Operative Area 12

“Safelane is easy to understand”.- TM Operative Area 12

Contractors working on recent resurfacing works on the A36 near Steeple Langford avoided a vehicle incursion, thanks to the Intellicone Smart Closure System.

SMART TAPER Kier Highways Ltd & Highway Resource Solutions Ltd (HRS)

Dawson Wam – M5 J4A-6 Smart Motorway Project

SMART TAPER
Kier Highways Ltd & Highway Resource Solutions Ltd (HRS)