Greater night-time safety for CEMEX drivers
Success of Blackline G7 safety system leads to expansion across the company’s business
THE success of a wireless safety system for CEMEX’s night-time cement truck drivers has encouraged the company to implement the devices across other areas of the business, including asphalt and ready-mixed concrete.
More than 50 cement truck drivers working from the Rugby, South Ferriby and Tilbury plants have used the Blackline G7 safety system for the last year. This solution is the only one in the world that offers work-anywhere wireless, two-way voice communication, monitoring for health events, gas leaks and injuries.
The system is said to be ideal for those who are working alone, particularly at night-time when drivers may feel more vulnerable.
CEMEX, whose main priority is ensuring the health and safety of all their employees and contractors, have now decided to explore implementation of the system for those driving ready-mixed concrete trucks in the South, as well as some of those in the asphalt sector of the business.
Barrie Flitton, operations manager for logistics at CEMEX, commented: ‘Keeping our workers safe is a consistent motivation for us as we develop our business and the systems we use.
‘We invested in the Blackline safety system because of its superior functionality and usability, and the feedback from drivers has been so positive that we’re now keen to utilize this technology elsewhere. We want our drivers to feel confident and supported, whatever time of the day or night they are working.’
One of CEMEX’s night-time drivers commented: ‘I have worked nights for a few years now delivering to quarries and unmanned sites in the dark, and I used to worry about my safety at times. For the last year I’ve been using the Blackline G7 and I feel so much safer at night; I don’t need to rely on someone to remember where I am and that I am on my own at an unmanned site.
‘The system works very well and is simple to use. The pager is easily activated by me via the switch or if I fall it goes off automatically and I get a call from a manager or despatch through the device. The GPS is also much improved, and I now have the ability to set off a silent or audible alarm if needed.’
