IRL Construction's new intelligent illumination safety system has cast a new light on worker safety in B.C., earning IRL Construction the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association's (ICBA) 2022 Gord Stewart Workplace Health and Safety Innovation Award.
IRL partnered with a UK-based company called FHOSS to install intelligent lighting on several pieces of equipment, including the:
- FHOSS Halo Exclusion Zone (a lit-up box that keeps people clear of moving equipment),
- FHOSS Light Livery (lit, impactful and reflective graphics on the outside of working equipment), and
- FHOSS Halo Lights (which attach to hard hats, making workers even more visible).
"As a company, we wanted to take extra steps to ensure workplace safety, especially around heavy equipment," said IRL Construction CEO William Donnellan. "We find the exclusion zone is especially helpful for new workers who may not be aware of the appropriate distances to work safely - and it serves as a reminder for even our most seasoned workers."
"IRL's lighting innovation is exactly the kind of idea aimed at making the workplace safe that we want to honour with our Award," said ICBA president Chris Gardner. "Every day, 250,000 men and women go to work on a construction site in B.C., and our number one priority as an industry is to make sure every single one of them gets home safely. IRL's leadership in using illumination to better identify danger zones helps keep workers safe."
Awarded in partnership with WorkSafeBC and named for former ICBA president Gord Stewart, ICBA's Workplace Health and Safety Innovation Award is presented annually to individuals and companies for campaigns and innovations aimed at preventing workplace incidents, injuries and illnesses. By honouring safety leaders and sharing their ideas, ICBA and WorkSafeBC hope to encourage new programs, policies, and projects that improve the health and safety of workers.
The award recognizes an employee or team of employees who come up with an innovative program, policy, tool or project that demonstrates a proven accomplishment in the area of health and safety for the construction industry sector. The award comes with a $5,000 prize, co-funded by ICBA and WorkSafeBC.
