Global air travel has never been more popular. More than four billion passengers take to the skies every year and at busy times, more than 200,000 flights are completed every day. Add to this the multi-billion dollar cargo freight industry and it’s not surprising that airports are some of the busiest places in the world.

At any one time, an airport can host a variety of vehicles, including trucks carrying freight to load on to aircraft, baggage carts, catering trucks, passenger transport buses and heavy plant vehicles. These vehicles operate at all hours of the day and night, often in adverse weather conditions.

This high volume of traffic means that, despite best efforts, accidents inevitably occur. One estimate by the Flight Safety Foundation puts worldwide commercial airlines costs at CA$ 13.2 billion from ground-related incidents.

In the workplace, there are multiple hazards, from slips and trips to lifting injuries. One of the main risks is being struck by a vehicle. Indeed, nearly half of injuries at airports are caused by collisions with moving vehicles.

Concourse hazards

The types of accidents that can happen at airports include:

●       Pedestrians and objects being struck due to vehicle blind spots.

●      Operation of electrically-powered vehicles is virtually silent, making it difficult for pedestrians to notice them approaching.

●      Inability to see pedestrians/co-workers due to adverse weather and nighttime conditions.

●      Reversing accidents.

●      Workers wearing hearing protection unable to hear approaching vehicles.

●      Pedestrians disorientated by multiple tonal vehicle alarms and/or tonal alarms masking the sound of other approaching vehicles.

On-board safety solutions

Advances in technology mean that all of the above situations could be prevented with on-board vehicle safety systems.

The use of electric vehicles within airports is growing exponentially around the world with many airports setting targets to transition to electrically-powered vehicles. Used to transport passengers, luggage and catering supplies, these vehicles are a huge step forward in terms of lessening environmental impact. But they pose an accident risk as they are largely silent.

Fortunately, these vehicles can be fitted with Quiet Vehicle Sounders. These devices emit a warning alarm so that pedestrians can hear them approaching.

Brigade has developed a multi-frequency Quiet Vehicle Sounder, integrating its patented bbs-tek® technology. This award-winning technology uses a wide range of White Sound® frequencies. This enables anyone in the direct path of the vehicle to locate instantly where and what direction the sound is coming from and take evasive action if required.

Meanwhile, on-board radar detection systems can help to minimize damage and prevent injuries caused by collisions by alerting the driver to the distance between vehicles and obstacles, whether moving or stationary. Such technology is suitable for all conditions and is ideal for vehicles and plant machinery manoeuvring at low speeds.

Since its invention in the 1970s, all large vehicles, such as trucks are required to emit a reversing alarming as a basic safety mechanism. However, research has shown that the traditional ‘tonal’ alarm many of us are accustomed to hearing is not always effective.

Workers wearing hearing protection may not hear it and it’s difficult to discover which direction the sound is coming from. As with the Quiet Vehicle Sounder, the new generation of reversing alarms include White Sound® frequencies, which are easier to hear and dissipate quickly - vital for a bustling airport.

Meanwhile, 360-degree cameras will completely eliminate the perennial problem of blind spots by providing a bird’s-eye view of the vehicle and its surroundings. This system can be used on a variety of airport vehicles, including vans, coaches and catering trucks.

As airports continue to get busier, safety remains a number one priority. By utilizing the latest vehicle safety technology, operators will be making a positive to enhancing standards and minimizing deaths and injuries.

Airport worker accidents: http://www.hse.gov.uk/airtransport/sic2007.pdf

IATA statistics: https://www.iata.org/pressroom/facts_figures/fact_sheets/Documents/fact-sheet-industry-facts.pdf

Ground handling stat: https://www.easa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/dfu/NLR-CR-2007-961.pdf