The Wirtgen Group is further bolstering its commitment to safety, continuing its partnership with Strata Worldwide to deliver innovative Proximity Detection Systems that are helping to prevent incidents onsite between personnel and machinery.
According to Safe Work Australia, vehicle incidents were the leading cause of work-related deaths in 2024, accounting for 42 per cent of all work-related fatalities.
In a sector where machinery and equipment are ever-present, the construction and infrastructure segment places a high priority on site health and safety.
But as these statistics reflect, current methods and solutions are not enough.
Safety has long been front of mind for the Wirtgen Group, which produces key machinery for the road construction and mining industries. It’s been a particular focus in the Group’s range of HAMM rollers, which have for years been equipped with technology aiming to eradicate the chances of incidents onsite.
This venture has mainly been oriented around the employment of PDS.
PDS stands for Proximity Detection System, and is a technology designed for machinery to detect nearby obstacles, people, or equipment to help prevent accidents.
PDS aims to enhance site safety and reduce the risk of incidents involving heavy equipment, in particular, a key reason why the Wirtgen Group has identified the technology as an essential tool for customers of its HAMM roller range.
Through an ongoing collaboration with PDS technology designer and provider Strata Worldwide, Wirtgen has done more than just install this technology. It’s aiming to surpass industry and market expectations, specifically the levels within the system.
So, what are these levels? Craig Yeats, Product Support Manager HAMM – Wirtgen Australia explains.
“Level seven and level nine refer to how much interaction a Proximity Detection System has with a machine,” he says.
“Most systems that are commercially available in the market these days, what we would say is a level seven system, have an alarm, or lights will flash, to let the operator know that they’re coming up against an obstacle or a person, or whatever that system is designed to pick up.”
“Level nine goes a step further, where the system will take control of the machine to prevent the unit running into people or plant or whatever the case may be.”
Calibrating and ensuring the accuracy of these systems is a must. Which is why Wirtgen is in constant communication with not only its customers, but also Strata Worldwide, to ensure constant improvement.
Initial testing is done in a controlled environment to ensure the system alarms or automatically stops the machine when required.
Once the system performs as expected in controlled conditions, live trials are conducted, ideally in closed or restricted environments to ensure safety and for further monitoring.
The purpose of these trials is to observe real-world performance and detect any unexpected behaviour, such as false alarms or system triggers in the absence of real threats.
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“Validation occurs any time that we fit a system to one of our machines,” Yeats says.
“The beauty of these systems is that video images are recorded at the time of any incursion and uploaded to the cloud, these can be viewed and, in that way, validated.
“False alarms can occur for a variety of reasons. In those instances, it demands a response from the OEM and the PDS provider, to eliminate as far as possible. Any false alarms are compiled and trained out of the AI system. But inevitably, there are actual incursions that can trigger a PDS response. This requires action from the site. It’s about eliminating the incursions that are causing the alarms to occur.”
Each of these interactions are fully transparent, with regular discussions between hardware designers, software designers, and machine operators.
This approach is also flexible in terms of installing the system, based on whether the machine is ISO compliant, non-compliant or an older machine that may require more of a hands-on approach. Regardless, each unit is treated on a case-by-case basis.
Downer General Manager Simon Abrahams has been piloting AI level nine Safe Site Wirtgen PDS technology on HAMM Compaction equipment, supplied by Wirtgen Australia in conjunction with Strata over the last two years.
“We’ve fitted the technology to several machines, including two HD120 steel drum rollers, which we use on highly technical airport projects such as the Hobart International Runway Upgrade, Richmond RAAF Base, Sydney Airport, and others,” he says.
“Not only have we significantly improved safety and reduced risks around machine–pedestrian interactions, but we’ve also boosted productivity and enhanced quality.”
Wirtgen is helping to facilitate easier adoption by integrating the ISO standard into its equipment, simplifying third-party system integration.
Support for each system can also be provided with or without a technician onsite.
“Strata can offer that support remotely. As long as the machine’s running and there’s an operator sitting on it, they can do a software update in a controlled manner, and then test it, set it up again, test it again, all without actually being on site,” Yeats says.
“The more we validate this technology and show people that it works and it’s making a difference on site, the safer our industry is going to be, and the more people are going to want to adopt this technology.”
Yeats says the technology is no longer an investment to be considered – it’s a tool that should form the backbone of a company’s safety policy.
“The whole point of this is to protect people,” he says.
“Even if it just protects one or two people over the years from serious harm, then it’s worth its weight in gold, and paid for itself in no time.”
This article was originally published in the November edition of our magazine. To read the magazine, click here.
