Spillard Safety Systems and Plantforce have been shortlisted for a Supply Chain Collaboration Excellence award after successfully deploying an AI safety solution on the Banwell Bridge project. With the collaboration cutting red zone incursions by 51.8%, it’s hoped the team will take home the gong at Construction News’ awards ceremony on 9th July.
Listed alongside big industry players like Kier and National Highways, this recognition from Construction News marks the outstanding performance of our supply chain partners as we worked towards a common goal – reducing the number of dangerous red zone incursions on the Banwell Bypass development site.
The collaboration saw us integrate Spillard’s AI-driven Integrated Managed Services (IMS) technology into fleet operations. By working closely with the technology partner and clients Octavius Regional Civil Engineering and Galliford Try, the team were able to cut incidents by 51.8%, significantly lowering risk exposure.
Cutting safety risks
One of the biggest risks on the Banwell Bypass site were red zone incursions, where on-the-ground colleagues (and occasionally the public) get within a dangerous range of heavy equipment. To fix this, our supply chain team started a test-and-learn process to find an AI-driven solution.
Spillard installed and tested their Integrated Managed Services (IMS) technology in plant on the Banwell site. IMS combines Spillard’s human form recognition camera technology with an intelligent AI interface and dedicated account management.
To get vital context and make genuine on-site impact, this information has to be shared and actioned collectively. To avoid siloes, the IMS model was co-developed with colleagues at every level on the Banwell site, from the Chairman to the Banksman.
Driven by key leaders at Plantforce, Spillard and Octavius, best practices were developed between teams, such as a regular feedback loop where concerns and information could be shared.
This enabled the team to implement proven solutions. Machine familiarisation training reduced isolation incursions by 77%. A change in the site layout cut 5m incursions by 25%, and the implementation of red zone and digital thumbs up training cut incorrect operator approaches by 37%. This cut the number of hours where workers were at risk (during 10-second incursions) by 48%.
Recognising real industry impact
The collaboration and best practices developed on this project allowed the team to make tangible progress towards their goal of reducing red zone incursions. It also helped fix an industry-wide problem of processing vast volumes of incursion data into tangible results.
Now at the judging stage of the process, the impact of this project will be assessed through face-to-face interviews. The winner will then be chosen by an independent panel of industry figures before the awards ceremony at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House.
George Shields, Works Manager for Octavius Infrastructure, said, “This collaboration saw two different supply chains brought together to meet a shared objective: improving workers’ safety. We’ve been so impressed by both the technology and the impact it’s made on our sites and teams. It’s only been possible thanks to the professionalism between all partners.”
Collaboration on the Banwell Bypass
