With all the emphasis on the bipartisan infrastructure bill that (finally) passed and was signed, heavy construction companies are gearing up, literally and figuratively, for an increased amount of work. Literally in the sense of equipment and figuratively in regard to staffing that equipment. Workers returning after pandemic layoffs and reduced work levels are potential safety risks.
Indeed, heavy construction ranks in the top three industries worldwide for serious injuries and fatalities. Whether operating heavy equipment or working around the machinery, keeping everyone alert on the jobsite helps to eliminate accidents. Addressing these risks and helping prevent incidents on construction sites, constituted the primary motivation behind the integration of the Leica iCON safety awareness solution portfolio with the Xwatch XW series of safety systems.
Leica Geosystems, part of Hexagon, has established an integration partnership with Xwatch Safety Solutions Ltd, a UK-based manufacturer of safety solutions, to transform jobsite safety by interconnecting excavator height and slew control with Leica Geosystems 2D and 3D machine control and safety awareness solutions.
At the core of Xwatch’s success is the XW series of products – height control, slew control, Rci’s (rated capacity indicators) and stability. The XW systems feature fully adjustable proportional hydraulic control and monitor machine height and slew movement. They are designed to accurately restrict movement using “feather touch” proportional hydraulic control. An operator can limit the excavator’s height and side boundaries thereby defining a working zone to increase safety around the machine.
Users of the popular Leica MC1 machine control platform can leverage their investments by running the new safety awareness solution, the Leica iCON PA80, directly on their existing machine-control system. The solution integrates safety awareness into the machine control platform and automatically alerts operators on the screen of the same device they use for ongoing machine operations. The safety awareness solution can be used for dozers, excavators or any other heavy equipment using the Leica MC1 machine control system.
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