IMPROVING CONSTRUCTION SAFETY BY PROVIDING POSITIVE FEEDBACK ON BACKUP ALARMS

Federally mandated backup alarms and safety management have been unsuccessful in eliminating fatalities and injuries due to maneuvering trucks and mobile equipment on construction sites. Workers seem to ignore the alarms as part of the general noise level. Drivers and equipment operators traveling in reverse, though, rely on the alarm's effectiveness to clear areas in which drivers have limited visibility. Using human factors analysis, the problem was identified as decremented vigilance, a person's natural inability to sustain attention without positive feedback. This technical paper presents experimental data on the use of a simulated, discriminating, personal alarm activated by a short range, directional transmitter to promote safe behavior. During the experiment, a significant increase in response time was observed, as expected, for the the conventional backup alarm and a decrease in response time for the discriminating personal alarm. Based on their findings, the authors conclude that backup alarm systems can potentially eliminate on-site vehicle/equipment accidents.

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