Green flashing lights on plant

[jamei303]

I've seen quite a lot of plant operating on the roadside recently with green flashing lights on top in addition to yellow ones.

AFAIK green lights are only for doctors when used on-road, so I am wondering what the rationale is for having them on the top of mini diggers etc?

[ShampooEfficient]

Shows the seatbelt is fastened IIRC.

[donkmeister]

ShampooEfficient said:

Shows the seatbelt is fastened IIRC.

Correct.

[Drumroll]

We had plant that had the green light that indicates the seat belt is being used and blue lights that illuminated around the plant indicating an exclusion zone and flashing red lights for reversing.

[jamei303]

ShampooEfficient said:

Shows the seatbelt is fastened IIRC.

That's ridiculous. What use is such a light to anyone? Surely the seat belt can be linked to an in-cab warning or ignition interlock. Inflicting various coloured flashing lights on other road users that serve no warning purpose to third-parties is surely detrimental to road safety.

What's next? Purple strobes on trucks to indicate the driver isn't watching porn?

[outnumbered]

jamei303 said:

What's next? Purple strobes on trucks to indicate the driver isn't watching porn?

There would be no point as they'd never be illuminated.

[chow pan toon]

jamei303 said:

That's ridiculous. What use is such a light to anyone? Surely the seat belt can be linked to an in-cab warning or ignition interlock. Inflicting various coloured flashing lights on other road users that serve no warning purpose to third-parties is surely detrimental to road safety.

What's next? Purple strobes on trucks to indicate the driver isn't watching porn?

It's not for you or road users, it is to show people on site that the workers using the plant are using the safety gear that they're supposed to.

[jamei303]

chow pan toon said:

It's not for you or road users, it is to show people on site that the workers using the plant are using the safety gear that they're supposed to.

That's just bizarre - surely the aim should be to ensure the worker is wearing the seat belt? Which can easily be done using in-cab devices.

Flashing lights are for warning others, if they start to be used for other purposes then it reduces their effectiveness at warning. If the vehicles are operating adjacent to highways then it's road users that will be primarily affected by the flashing lights.

Perhaps accountants should use 120dB sirens to show fellow office workers that they're complying with the appropriate accounting policies?

[Trax]

Learn something new every day, I assumed it was to distinguish it from yellow lights on a slow moving vehicle on the road, rather than on a digger etc in roadworks.

[A1VDY]

There's also a yellow light and a brown light to indicate the driver is on his way to the bog..

[Drumroll]

jamei303 said:

chow pan toon said:

It's not for you or road users, it is to show people on site that the workers using the plant are using the safety gear that they're supposed to.

That's just bizarre - surely the aim should be to ensure the worker is wearing the seat belt? Which can easily be done using in-cab devices.

Flashing lights are for warning others, if they start to be used for other purposes then it reduces their effectiveness at warning. If the vehicles are operating adjacent to highways then it's road users that will be primarily affected by the flashing lights.

Green lights on plant have been used for at least ten years. It started on larger plant and whilst there are systems that won't allow plant to work without something happening first (eg seat belts) The problem arises when to gain visibility the driver needs to undo his seat belt. You have to remember on large plant there is no easy way to see if the operator is actually using their seat belt.

There is an argument that too many warning devises can cause problems. I can always remember one guy got knocked down by a Moxy dumper (glancing blow from tyre) because there was so many reversing bleepers going off he didn't hear the one that struck him.

[treehack]

jamei303 said:

That's just bizarre - surely the aim should be to ensure the worker is wearing the seat belt? Which can easily be done using in-cab devices.

Flashing lights are for warning others, if they start to be used for other purposes then it reduces their effectiveness at warning. If the vehicles are operating adjacent to highways then it's road users that will be primarily affected by the flashing lights.

Perhaps accountants should use 120dB sirens to show fellow office workers that they're complying with the appropriate accounting policies?

If you have ever worked on the side of the road you would appreciate anything that highlights your presence.

[Dogwatch]

Drumroll said:

There is an argument that too many warning devises can cause problems. I can always remember one guy got knocked down by a Moxy dumper (glancing blow from tyre) because there was so many reversing bleepers going off he didn't hear the one that struck him.

I nearly got caught out behind one of the new fleet of dustcarts the council has purchased. Unsurprisingly the rear end has more flashing lights than a showman's wagon and I suddenly realised that a couple of them were the turn indicator lights, not the "watch out for Dusties" lights.


Is someone worried that perhaps a steady green light might be missed by yer actual supervisories?

[xx99xx]

I've only ever seen the green lights on whilst they are relatively stationary and digging/shifting stuff on site, not whilst driving down a road. Don't see a problem with that.

[anothernameitist]

outnumbered said:

There would be no point as they'd never be illuminated.

Don't be so narrow minded.

HGV drivers have to take breaks, legally, it's an opportunity to stop watching porn and have sex with a prossie

[Teddy Lop]

Dogwatch said:

Drumroll said:

There is an argument that too many warning devises can cause problems. I can always remember one guy got knocked down by a Moxy dumper (glancing blow from tyre) because there was so many reversing bleepers going off he didn't hear the one that struck him.

I nearly got caught out behind one of the new fleet of dustcarts the council has purchased. Unsurprisingly the rear end has more flashing lights than a showman's wagon and I suddenly realised that a couple of them were the turn indicator lights, not the "watch out for Dusties" lights.


Is someone worried that perhaps a steady green light might be missed by yer actual supervisories?

I've always thought the liberal use of hazards particularly dumb as like you say it removes the ability for the driver to signal his intention! Yet many sites "mandate" their use, as apparently flashing orange lights make several ton of van suddenly not invisible!!!!

And like drumroll says its become an arms race, I wonder if that's why cops and ambulances are now using flashing lights so intense they dazzle and blind other road users?

As for flashing light to show the driver is compliant - how deeply patronising, surely it should be the other way round, alerting to a unsafe situation? Although that's precisely the sort of idiotic thinking you get from the stupid lazy got-the-job-cos-of-nepotism hanger ons that are h+s.

[jamei303]

Teddy Lop said:

As for flashing light to show the driver is compliant - how deeply patronising, surely it should be the other way round, alerting to a unsafe situation? Although that's precisely the sort of idiotic thinking you get from the stupid lazy got-the-job-cos-of-nepotism hanger ons that are h+s.

I've now read that this flashing green light scheme was dreamed up by Highways England. So that's the body responsible for safety on the highways encouraging non-highway users to work next to highways with flashing lights that are illegal on the highway in order to inform people not on the highway that they're working safely.

I guess if they came up with dynamic hard-shoulder running and rolled it out without doing a safety assessment, then it's no surprise that they're responsible for a hair-brained scheme such as this.

[Zarco]

If you watch closely you may notice the flashing green light stays on even when the driver has got out the cab. That's because he has just connected the belt across his seat and sat on it as he can't be bothered to wear it.

[Teddy Lop]

Zarco said:

If you watch closely you may notice the flashing green light stays on even when the driver has got out the cab. That's because he has just connected the belt across his seat and sat on it as he can't be bothered to wear it.

Similar example, I don't bother if I'm moving the van ten feet or drive round the corner etc, only with the new transit it goes absolutely spaz shreiking rageflake at you after 3 seconds so I suspect many would leave it plugged in which then makes it less accessable for when you get in and do intend to put it on...

Well done ford, well done.

[Roo]

Why does it matter to anyone else on site whether or not the plant operator is wearing his seat belt and why does everyone need to know by using a green flashing light?