The best practices would include:

• Physical separation of people and machines. Reducing the number of incursions from workers entering the working area of a machine is considered a leading indicator for reducing the struck-by and caught-between incidents.
• Deployment of Proximity Warning Systems (PWS) on machines to create real time alerts for both pedestrians and driver / operators.
• Supplement with additional safety equipment on machines (AI cameras for 360 visibility / additional mirrors / external alarms)
• Deploy clear signage / barriers / no go zones / safe walkways / hi visibility clothing
• Encourage communication between Operators and Pedestrian workers (eg. thumbs up and signals or use of spotters). More effective is the use of Proximity Warning Systems to encourage acknowledgement by the operator of a worker in the working zone of a machine.
• On-going use of data and metrics to deliver training and support for workers.
• Leverage PWS analytics to identify higher risk areas at a site and implement improvements to site design and / or work practices.

In summary

Maximise pedestrian safety by separating people and machines, implementing robust proximity warning systems (PWS), consider the addition of AI cameras and alarms, providing clear walkways and safe zones, promoting visual communication or spotters, and using data from PWS to promote behavioural improvements and site optimisation.

There are a range of systems available to help reduce collisions between people and vehicles on job sites. The most effective approach is a layered system, combining AI cameras with tag-based proximity warning and location tracking. This compensates for the limitations of any one technology and creates a more reliable, site-wide collision avoidance system.

Details of the individual types of system include:

AI Camera Systems

• What they do: Use human form detection to monitor surroundings in real-time.
• Strengths: Advanced vehicle mounted AI Camera systems such as SensorZone Vision360 deliver 360° visual awareness for the operator and can detect untagged individuals like visitors or the public.
• Limitations: Affected by blind spots (caused by poor weather, physical obstacles dust, or darkness); requires regular maintenance (to ensure camera lenses remain unobstructed), only alerts the operator of the machine (which means the pedestrian worker doesn’t moderate or change behaviour). They provide limited data insights.

Tag-Based Proximity Warning Systems (PWS)

• What they do: Use wearable transponders (TAGs) and vehicle-mounted antennas and sensors to detect worker proximity at variable ranges.
• Strengths: Straightforward to install (quick and easy); accurate, consistent detection even in poor visibility or obstructed environments; works regardless of lighting or weather, low maintenance (TAG systems such as SensorZone PWS do not require the TAG to be recharged and will last for several years once issued). Alerts specific pedestrian workers with an audible and haptic alert. Delivers data rich insights to track leading indicators, trends in performance, comparisons across sites and vehicles and worker behaviours on a site.
• Limitations: Only detects TAG-wearing personnel; some systems require battery management.

Ultrasonic and Radar Sensors

• What they do: Emit signals to detect obstacles or people around machines.
• Strengths: Low cost and easy to install. useful for detecting nearby objects in all directions, even in low visibility.
• Limitations: Cannot distinguish between a person and an object; may produce false alarms and distractions.

GPS and RTLS (Real-Time Location Systems)

• What they do: Track the exact location of people and machines using GPS or UWB.
• Strengths: Enables geofencing, asset tracking, and real-time alerts when workers enter danger zones.
• Limitations: GPS accuracy can degrade indoors or near tall structures; some latency in updates, UWD systems require charging stations and create a management overhead to ensure that wearable devices are charged on a regular basis.

LIDAR-Based Systems

• What they do: Use laser scanning to map surroundings in 3D.
• Strengths: High-resolution object detection; good for autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles.
• Limitations: High cost and complexity; sensitive to environmental conditions.

Integrated Safety Platforms

• What they do: Combine data from AI, TAGs, sensors, and GPS into a unified system with cloud analytics.
• Strengths: Provide heat maps, incident logs, video correlation, and insights for ongoing safety improvements and to drive improved behaviours.
• Limitations: Requires integration and management across different tech providers.

A proximity warning system works by placing a detection zone around all construction vehicles on site. Pedestrian workers are all equipped with a wearable tag, which triggers an alarm if they enter the detection zone of a vehicle.

Proximity warning systems are very effective way of reducing incidents on construction sites, due to the active alerts that they provide to both pedestrians and vehicle operators. This creates a culture of shared responsibility for safety, whereas many traditional safety practices place more reliance on the operators.

By using a proximity warning system that provides data insights, such as SensorZone, site managers and safety personnel can quickly build up a picture of how pedestrians and vehicles are interacting with other over a period of time. Heat maps are generated that can help identify pinch points and highlight the most dangerous areas of a site, allowing for preventative action to take place (such as site layout changes).  

The most common cause of vehicle to person accidents on construction sites are pedestrian workers being struck by moving vehicles. Data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that there were over 170 fatalities caused by being struck by a vehicle on a construction site in 2022.

Struck-by incidents can occur unfortunately frequently on a lot of construction sites for numerous reasons, including poor driver visibility around the entire vehicle, or blind spots caused by on-site objects. Poor site planning, insufficient PPE and lack of situational awareness from pedestrian workers are also key contributors to the issue.

Another study by NIOSH from 2020 reports that there we over 14,000 non-fatal struck-by incidents in the US construction sector, costing companies over $1.4bn in compensation.

The positive news is that proximity warning systems, such as SensorZone, can help to mitigate these causes and vastly reduce the chances of struck-by incidents occurring.

Amongst a range of options, the most effective method of preventing collisions between workers and vehicles is for the construction site to introduce a proximity warning system.

A proximity warning system is an excellent tool to mitigate some of main reasons for work site collisions occurring, such as blind spots, busy working environments and too much emphasis on vehicle operators always being alert and aware of their surroundings.

By deploying a tag-based proximity warning system that shares responsibility for on-site safety and gives active alerts to operators and pedestrian workers when near to danger, incidents can be prevented before they occur.

Since the SensorZone proximity detection system begun being deployed in the United States in 2021, there hasn’t been a recorded incident between workers and machines on a construction site.