Biffa Municipal has installed hi-tech recording equipment in its refuse collection vehicles (RCV) to address the health and safety of its workers and other road users.
The new technology has been installed in over 50 refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) owned by the waste management company in Crawley, South Buckinghamshire and Epping Forest.
The installations include updated CCTV Hard Disk Recording technology and a remote WiFi coverage download system developed by Innovative Safety Systems Ltd (ISS), a provider of vehicle safety and efficiency technology. Biffa is also trialling the ‘Cyclear’ Cyclist Warning Display System from ISS and is considering the installation of this technology into RCVs at a later date.
Innovative Safety Systems
The RX3 Hard Disk Recording system installed in Biffa’s RCVs is capable of recording footage from 16 different cameras and can capture the speed, acceleration and GPS position of the vehicle.
All footage recorded by cameras can be transmitted from the RCV directly to the depot, when in range of the depot’s WiFi network, via the vehicle’s router and ‘LANlink’ facility making the footage retrieval process more efficient.
The Cyclear warning display system for cyclists involves the installation of a mounted sensor to the nearside of RCVs. If a cyclist undertakes the vehicle on the left the sensor will alert the driver, reducing the risk of collision, but will not be activated by stationary objects such as street furniture. This type of manoeuvre, in conjunction with an RCV turning left, is a common cause of cyclist injury in the UK.
Cameras are primarily for health and safety
David Maidman, Operations Director at Biffa, said: “Our primary reason for using camera recording systems is for health and safety. We use the information we gain from the cameras to monitor and supervise best practice, as well as for staff training and monitoring trends. The footage can also be used to help investigate complaints or insurance claims.
“The quality of the hardware and the usability of the software is excellent and we like the fact that the product is manufactured here in the UK. [ISS’s] input during the build phase has been invaluable and they genuinely add value along the way.”
Oliver Hoadley, UK Sales Manager at ISS said: “LANlink offers most of the benefits of using a Live Recording system without the cost and the unreliability. It’s proving to be very popular with customers.”
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