A proximity warning system is a system that helps to reduce the risk of incidents between pedestrian workers and vehicles. They can come in multiple forms, with the most common being tag-based and camera-based systems.

Proximity warning systems can be known by a number of alternative names, including proximity alert systems, proximity detection systems, and collision avoidance systems.

Whilst most commonly used in industries such as construction and waste and recycling, they can help to reduce fatal and non-fatal injuries in almost any setting that involves people working closely with heavy machinery.  

A proximity warning system works by detecting the presence of a pedestrian worker near to a vehicle, then alerting the people involved to the potential danger.

A tag-based proximity warning system works by using technologies such as RFIB and UWB. Deployments of these systems involve giving all workers on site a wearable tag, which vibrates upon coming too close to a working vehicle. All vehicles are then equipped with an in-cab display (to alert the operator to the presence of nearby workers) and an antenna (to create a detection zone around the vehicle). If a tag-wearing worker enters a detection zone, then both the pedestrian and the operator receive an alert.

A camera-based proximity warning system works by using multiple AI-integrated cameras to detect people around a vehicle. You will commonly find that these systems have a visual display in the cab, so that the operator can view a feed of the cameras and identify the whereabouts of the pedestrian worker.

The reliability and accuracy of a proximity warning system in a challenging environment largely depends on the type of system deployed.

If an organization is using a tag-based proximity warning system, then performance will not be impacted by environmental challenges such as weather, dust, trenches or on-site obstacles. This is because these systems, like SensorZone, use RFID or UWB technologies to communicate between the worker tags and the site vehicles.

If the system deployed is reliant on cameras, then there may be more accuracy issues when faced with environmental challenges. These systems can be hampered by excessive dust and harsh weather conditions, and can’t pick up people if they are hidden behind an obstacle on site.

To ensure maximum reliability in all situations, a combination of tag and camera systems (such as SensorZone Proximity Warning Plus) would be the ideal solution.

Proximity warning systems are suitable for - and can have huge safety benefits - in a wide range of industries.

Whilst primarily proximity alert systems are deployed in a construction or waste and recycling environment, they are also used on mining operations, oil and gas sites, warehouses, and ports.

The systems lend themselves well to industries that have a busy and enclosed work site, where people and vehicles are often coming into close contact with each other.

There isn't a minimum-sized operation required in order to benefit from a proximity warning system – no matter how small or large a site might be, people can be better protected with the assistance of proximity warning technology.

Active proximity warning systems alert both the vehicle operator and the pedestrian worker to the potential collision. Passive systems only alert one party, which is usually the vehicle operator.

Tag-based proximity warning systems are often ‘active’ systems because the driver gets alerted via an in-cab display, and the pedestrian worker is notified via their wearable tag (or other device).

Camera-based systems are much more likely to be passive systems, as they have no means of alerting the individual pedestrian worker to danger. These systems only alert the driver to the presence of a worker and their whereabouts in relation to the vehicle.