First orders of SiteZone social distancing device

UK-based ESS Safeforce has pre-ordered 150 second-generation wearable distancing devices from SiteZone Safety, ahead of the product’s launch this month.

The new, more compact version of the wearable personnel distancing system (PDS) will be used by ESS Safeforce in its own business, as well as some being made available for hire.

Ian Holt, who leads the Heavy Construction Division at ESS Safeforce said, “We have been successful, exclusive hire partners and collaborators with SiteZone Safety for some years now and we know how effective its safety solutions are. Given the current pandemic conditions, it’s essential that our workers are protected and meet the 2m distance rule, just as much as our customers are. That’s why we will be using the SiteZone Safety PDS ourselves”.

The design of SiteZone Safety’s PDS started during the UK’s first Covid-19 lockdown in the second quarter of this year. The company was asked at short notice to provide a wearable physical distancing system to protect workers building the NHS Nightingale hospital for Covid-19 patients in Birmingham, helping them to keep 2m distance apart.

Having successfully creating the first field-ready backpack PDS unit in the UK, the team soon realised that the pandemic was going to be a long term issue and that the design had to be refined and streamlined to meet continuing needs, particularly among key workers.

Gary Escott, managing director of SiteZone Safety said, “As we have seen, coronavirus continues to affect us adversely as we enter our second national quarantine.” England’s second national lockdown started on 5 November.

Escott continued, “It’s vital that we keep essential sectors operational and do so safely. This is why we have refined our personnel distancing system, to be even more compact, effective and with a long battery life. Collectively, we have to adapt to keep Britain working where possible, and I’m confident that sound safety solutions like ours will lead the way.”