Boylan Group recognised for safety solutions

The Boylan Group has been awarded Highly Commended award at the 3M-ACRS Diamond Road Safety Awards, as part of the 2016 Australasian Road Safety Conference.

More than 500 industry peers attended the Gala Awards Dinner, hosted by the Australasian College of Road Safety and sponsored by 3M, at Parliament House, Canberra in September.

Boylan Group’s Director of Strategic Analysis, Alan Hay, was delighted to receive the award in recognition of a compendium of front line road and workzone safety solutions on behalf of the company.

In concert with their layered approach to workzone and road safety, the Boylan Group submission included a number of technology innovations that address the issues of protecting the workforce whilst encouraging positive motorist behaviour.

Innovation such as the ‘Workzone Radar’ which provides advanced warning to individual workzone personnel on the approach of over-speed vehicles whilst collecting the necessary data for future planning and enforcement. Extensive frontline testing of the device also proved to have a calming effect on driver behaviour. In a similar vein but targeting perimeter protection, Boylan’s ‘Laser Perimeter’ shared in the recognition.

Mitigating proximity threats is a key tenant of the Boylan Group’s approach, clearly demonstrated by their lifelike animatronic flagger ‘Workzone Wili’ which reacts to motorist behaviour and reinforces the psychological impact of Human Presence. Or ‘Zone Laser’ designed to share responsibility pertaining to mobile plant by ‘painting’ a visual exclusion zone on the ground using lasers.

“What we achieved owes much to the feedback from our industry’s front-line personnel,” says Mr. Hay. “We don’t innovate in isolation but derive solutions from the threats already identified by key stakeholders”.

He also believes that we must utilise every means at our disposal to trigger positive motorist behaviour through additional sensory triggers. “Whether tactile, verbal or psychological we must extend our focus beyond that of static signage. Triggers such as tactile line-marking, photo- luminescent marking, colour coding, temporary rumble strips. Interactive ‘Speedcheck’ and variable message signs all have an important role to play in calming traffic,” says Mr. Hay.

In his symposium address earlier in the ACRS Conference Mr. Hay spoke of the importance of implementation pathways for innovation and the need for an evolutionary approach to Driverless Vehicles. Urging against complacency Mr. Hay posed the question, “should we really be dreaming of utopia and the thought that driverless vehicles and Cooperative intelligent transport systems will be the panacea of all our road safety ills…..or address our current issues of today with technologies of today.”

“Are we effectively addressing current threats with current technologies…..are we ensuring that processes are safe….practical and streamlined……Are we really doing the best we can with what we already have?….or are our systems supporting safety at roadworks locked in to a 1960’s mentality of regulation and standards, when we need to be listening to the front line….conducting holistic risk assessment…addressing driver behaviour….harmonising and embracing practical emerging technologies?”

Peter Boylan, the Group’s Owner and Managing Director was also delighted at the recognition from the award. “These awards are held in high regard by our industry and we are truly humbled by all of the support we have received. We have tried to be innovative and address the front line issues with practical affordable solutions “, he says.