Brigade helps Mr Plant Hire stay safe in London
Enfield, North London-based operator Mr Plant Hire is fitting out its fleet with technology from safety equipment specialist Brigade, including to help it comply with the requirements of Phase 2 of the Direct Vision Standard (DVS), set to enter force in October.
Mr Plant Hire specialises in machinery hire solutions across the construction, maintenance and mechanical electrical industries. With over 40 years’ experience, the company prides itself on providing exceptional plant and that ethos extends to equipment for vehicle safety devices.
Oliver Simson, transport manager at Mr Plant Hire, said: “Brigade’s systems are far superior to any other products on the market, including the build quality. In seven years, we have only had one camera fail and that was due to a driver incident.”
The firm operates a mixed fleet of plant and access vehicles including three 18-tonne, five 32-tonne and one 44-tonne, and has a five-year rolling policy to keep the fleet fresh. There are an additional ten 3.5-tonne vehicles including tail lifts and six service vehicles.
Some of the vehicles carry plant up to eight tonnes, which increase the height and width of the load which can affect visibility. Added to this, delivery conditions often involve difficult access to building sites, office refurbishments and construction sites. Robust visibility devices are paramount.
Mr Plant Hire has Brigade’s 360° camera systems with digital recording fitted to the fleet. Two vehicles currently have Brigade’s Front Radar and Radar Predict fitted to meet the Progressive Safe System requirements set by Transport for London (TfL) for DVS Phase 2 in October. The rest of the fleet is being rolled out.
Brigade’s Front Radar is an advanced dual-radar collision prediction system, with a 180° detection angle to the front of the vehicle. The driver is alerted through visual and audible signals if a vulnerable road user is detected in close proximity.
Radar Predict is an advanced collision prediction system specifically designed to protect cyclists from collisions with HGVs. It uses AI technology with the dual radar analysing data such as the speed and direction of both the vehicle and the cyclist. It differentiates between static and moving objects, the algorithm alerts the driver when an impact with a cyclist is likely.
Tony Crawford, sales and marketing director at Mr Plant Hire, said: “Some sites have stipulations such as FORS silver, so we are increasingly required to prove the level of our safety equipment. We have a big contract starting soon with HS2 and they are asking for front and side radars; they are already expecting it, so we will be ahead of the game.”
Another reason that Mr Plant Hire chose Brigade was on the recommendation of its supplier and fitter, Advanced Vehicle Alarms (AVA).
The two companies have been working together for over fifteen years, but ten years ago Sam Scott, managing director of AVA, conducted an audit on the vehicle safety systems used and found a variety of systems and technologies.
Oliver Simson said: “AVA recommended that we streamline the systems. Using one supplier makes it more efficient for us but it also increases the effectiveness of driver training and confidence. AVA make my life as a transport manager easier; if I need anything for vehicle safety, I just ring Sam and he advises me. Sam often comes back to me the next day and works around our working day so that we have less vehicle downtime.”
AVA is a Brigade Service Partner, which are approved to supply and fit Brigade products. The new TfL specification requires that DVS product is fitted by a competent fitter who must provide a signed statement to confirm that work meets the TfL specification.
