Zonegreen Upgrades Safety at Australian Rail Depot
Workers at a rail depot in Queensland, Australia, are the latest to benefit from advanced safety technology developed by Sheffield specialists, Zonegreen.
www.zonegreen.co.uk
The firm has supplied a new contactless version of its flagship Depot Personnel Protection System (DPPS) to the Wulkuraka maintenance facility in Ipswich, where an earlier iteration was first implemented ten years ago.
DPPS has been installed on an additional double-ended road at Wulkuraka by Zonegreen’s Australian partner, Andrew Engineering, to allow staff to quickly and efficiently apply safety measures and control vehicle movements. The firm’s latest RFID technology has also been integrated with the existing safety system, which has been operational on 14 roads since 2014, in advance of the depot’s opening.
DPPS uses Network Rail-approved derailers to create safe zones in which to work. Personal RFID cards, with various authorisation levels, allow staff to log-on to road end panels, which prevent the derailer from being lowered and vehicles from entering the road whilst it is occupied. Audible and visual warnings are also given of impending train movements.
Zonegreen’s Depot Manager software has also been upgraded to integrate the new road protected by RFID DPPS into the current system monitoring the other 14 roads. It provides a graphical overview and a permanent log of all activity for complete traceability.
Christian Fletcher, Zonegreen’s head of engineering, said:
“It has been a pleasure working with depot operators, Alstom, again at Wulkuraka and we are honoured they have chosen to invest in our latest equipment, demonstrating their faith in us and DPPS. We remained in constant contact throughout the installation and integration of our systems, which were handled seamlessly and professionally by Andrew Engineering.
“This project demonstrates perfectly how the modular nature of DPPS allows it to be expanded and adapted easily to the evolving needs of depots. By automating safety procedures, we can eliminate the margin for human error and provide staff carrying out inherently dangerous roles physical protection from serious injury.”
www.zonegreen.co.uk
