Achieving high levels of safety

Keeping industry safe with the help of Sentek Solutions

As explained in a previous blog, robotics and automation are on the rise.

With this rise of automation, artificial intelligence and robots, humans are often working alongside some kind of machine counterpart. So, safety needs to be at the forefront of all employers’ minds. If humans and robots are to work together, the entire environment must be safe.

So, why is safety important and how can our products help you keep your employees, processes and productivity levels safe?

Why is safety important?

There are 2 main reasons why safety is important in the workplace.

Employees

Aside from the obvious moral obligations, staff need to have peace of mind that they’re being protected and are safe when they come to work. Also if staff cannot interact and work alongside robots and machines safely then processes and applications will not run smoothly.

Productivity

High safety levels = high productivity levels.

Unsafe environments and applications have the risk of causing accidents which lead to down time and pauses in production.

The cost of creating a safe environment is likely to be less compared to the cost of an accident where processes and outputs are put on hold for long periods of time.

How can you minimise the risks?

Our products can help you with the following areas of safety:

• Dangerous machinery and areas
• Autonomous vehicles
• Heavy closing doors or powerful/sharp moving edges
• Port cranes and port vehicles

Sentek Solutions provides a wide variety of products which can increase safety levels in all these applications and more.

Dangerous machinery:

Some machines, for example one which moves fast or is cutting materials are a danger to humans and therefore need to be protected. We offer several products that can make machines safer.

A Hokuyo UAM-05LP safety laser scanner can be used to guard the machine. The scanner can be used like a traditional light guard and easily programmed so that when someone/something enters the area the machine is switched off.

SSZ safety mats can also be used to keep dangerous machinery safe. The mats can be installed around a dangerous piece of machinery and when a human worker steps onto the mat when the machine is running, the machine will be switched off.

An example of how a Hokuyo UAM-05LP can be used to make a dangerous machine safe.

Autonomous vehicles:

A fast-moving vehicle can be fitted with a Hokuyo UAM-05LP safety laser scanner to help it avoid obstacles. You could also fit SSZ safety bumpers around the edge of the same vehicle, to provide an extra level of protection.

When a Hokuyo UAM-05LP safety laser scanner is used the scanner will recognise obstacles in the path of the vehicle. The scanner will then instruct the vehicle to slow down or come to a complete stop, this depend on how the scanner has been programmed and in what application the vehicle is operating.

A much slower moving vehicle could be fitted with SSZ safety bumpers. When these edges are impacted by a human worker or an obstacle, the vehicle will know that it needs to stop.

How a UAM-05LP can be used to protect autonomous vehicles.

Port cranes and vehicles:

Crane operators in busy ports need extra help staying safe. It can sometimes be hard for operators to see directly below or to the side as their view is obstructed.

Our radar collision avoidance systems from PPT can be fitted onto port cranes and vehicles for collision avoidance and obstacle detection. A vast range of angles and distances can be safely protected by a RadarRanger device giving crane operators the peace of mind they need to work efficiently and safely.

A PPT RadarRanger is the perfect partner for protecting port cranes from accidents, collision and downtime as a result.

A radar unit from PPT protecting an overhead crane from collisions.

What product is best for my application?

Sometimes for complex applications a combination of our technologies and products can be used and we can advise on this.

Whether you need a solution for an indoor or outdoor environment, a factory floor or a warehouse, for a vehicle or a machine Sentek Solutions carries a product that can help.

To find out how our products can help you maintain high levels of safety as well as productivity, get in touch via email. We’re always happy to give information on any of our products if you’d like to know more.

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If you would like to meet us face to face at a exhibition this year you can see our schedule here.