New solutions for added safety on construction sites

The tools increase safety awareness, prevent collisions and alert employees to danger

Leica Geosystems, part of Hexagon, has announced substantial enhancements to its modular construction site safety solutions, the Leica iCON PA10 and PA80. The enhanced solutions help prevent accidents through alerts on potentially dangerous situations. The PA80 can also be integrated with the XWatch safety systems XW 4 & 5, allowing excavator height and swing control to be linked to the Leica Geosystems MC1 system. 

Construction sites can be very dangerous: heavy traffic, large equipment, poor visibility and blind spots are factors that increase the likelihood of accidents. "Our senses are crucial to our well-being," says Brad Mullis, Product Manager for Personal Alert Systems at Leica Geosystems. Managing these risks was the key driver for Leica behind the development of the iCON portfolio for construction site safety and its partnership with Xwatch Safety Solutions. "The enhanced technology from Leica Geosystems and from our new partner helps prevent incidents on construction sites. We want to provide solutions that protect not only the buildings, machinery and infrastructure, but most importantly the people on site," concludes Mullis

Dead corners 

The Leica iCON PA10 is a proximity detection system that consists of tags that communicate with machines and vehicles on a construction site. Workers on the construction site carry those tags with them, and the system provides machine operators with 360-degree visibility of people near their vehicles and machines based on data from the tags. Through alerts, the system delineates multiple zones around each vehicle, with a range of up to 50 meters. The technology can sense the position of workers in relation to machinery and send out different types of alerts to both machinists and workmen through visible signals, sound or vibration. The additional sensors can also be easily installed on other moving objects and machinery, as well as deployed to mark static infrastructure and restriction zones.

Greater safety awareness

Users of the Leica MC1 GPS systems can easily integrate the Leica iCON PA80 module into the existing system. The iCON PA80 alerts the operator on their usual screen, increasing their reaction time and visibility to the situation, whether they are in a bulldozer, excavator or other heavy equipment. With MC1 cloud support, incidents can be recorded and shared to enable display, analysis or reporting within the safety processes of the affected contractor.

Leica is also improving safety on the construction site thanks to its cooperation with Xwatch. The Xwatch safety systems monitor the height and slewing movement of the machine and can limit it if a Leica PA80 enters the danger zone. Thus, accidents are prevented.