Spillard News

CPN Consultant Editor Nick Johnson checks out the latest VCAS object detection system that has been developed to help make large site dumpers safer on site.

Objects detected

Articulated site dumpers with front mounted skips carrying as much as 10 tonnes are now commonplace on many UK construction sites. Yet some people question how these traditionally small machines were officially allowed to get bigger with their drivers still seated behind the load. Whilst seats have been raised, there can be instances where particularly well-heaped loads can severely restrict forward vision with potentially disastrous results..

At a time when some contractors are demanding 360° camera systems on excavators it in not surprising that the attention of more safety officers has turned to site dumper safety. So ways are being sought to counter any restriction of forward vision on site dumpers and one product that is gaining in popularity as a result is the VCAS (Vehicle Collision Avoidance System) produced by Spillard Safety Systems of Wolverhampton.

The original VCAS system was developed by Spillard in 2007 at the request of contractor Balfour Beatty following an accident on site. The first VCAS 200 went on sale in 2008 with front mounted sensors and a buzzer to provide an audible warning if a person or other object was detected in front of the machine. The system quickly found favour with safety conscious users including contractor Morgan Sindall.

Based on its operational experience with VCAS 200, Morgan Sindall felt that the system could be improved and Spillard was happy to oblige. Working with both this far-sighted contractor and the plant hire company GAP, the company developed the upgraded VCAS 300 system which first appeared at the Plantworx exhibition last year.

The new VCAS 300 system uses better ultra sonic sensors and provides the audible warning of “Object Detected” to the machine operator. There is also a new ‘night silent’ feature that can only be enabled by the Site Manager, or other responsible person, for use when noise would be disruptive to members of the public living nearby. The operator then relies on the system’s three red LED warning lights on the display box placed in front of the operator.

To prevent operator abuse, the new system’s ECU and 86 dB speaker are securely located under the floor plates of the dumper. Three non-contact sonic sensors are securely bolted onto the front of the dumper chassis under the skip on machines of over 3.0 tonnes capacity). Water proofed to IP68 standards, these sensors are designed to withstand adverse site and weather conditions.

To check out the effectiveness of VCAS 300, I travelled to a Morgan Sindall site in the West Midlands where the contractor was using a 9.0 tonne forward tipping Terex dumper hired in from GAP. Here the machine was given a very well heaped load and, under controlled test conditions, the ability of the VCAS 300 system to detect and warn the dumper driver of objects hidden from his view was evaluated.

The system passed the tests with flying colours – it warned of a person kneeling down 3.5m in front of the dumper and it ‘spotted’ a 900mm high cylindrical cone placed 500mm in front of the skip. Warning in both cases was both audible and by the illumination of the high intensity red LED lights (still effective in bright sunshine). No operator interaction is needed and the system, with a predetermined forward range of typically 4.0m, cannot be ignored.

The VCAS 300 system also warns if the operator’s seatbelt has not been buckled up by giving the audible alert “Seatbelt Not Engaged”. A green status light on the display box indicates that the whole system is functioning correctly.  

Morgan Sindall clearly has very high health and safety standards and the use of VCAS 300 is helping to keep its sites accident free. Meanwhile the GAP Group is busy promoting the safety advantages of the system to its other customers.

GAP Major Accounts Director Steve Cooper says, “We usually fit the VCAS system on to 6.0 tonne and 9.0 tonne dumpers but we do also get asked for it on 3.0 tonne dumpers. A lot of companies are now requesting a sensor system and they pay an additional charge for it.”

An interesting planned future development for the VCAS 300 system is the addition of a tilt alarm. If an inclinometer indicates that the dumper is approaching an unsafe operating angle, the operator will receive the verbal warning ”Safe Tilt Exceeded” thereby providing yet more safety protection.