Humans Are Inconsistent—Technology Isn’t

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Human perception is often influenced by emotions, which can cloud judgment and lead to missed opportunities to prevent safety hazards. Unlike humans, technology operates without bias, emotion, or fear of repercussions. It provides clear, objective alerts, ensuring that safety concerns are addressed without hesitation. This issue is particularly significant in industries like mining, where workers may fear job loss if they raise safety concerns. Even if your company fosters an open safety culture, widespread industry concerns can still affect how your personnel behave. In this article, we’ll explore how the human condition can impact safety and how our technology, Hoplo, can provide a more reliable alternative.

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Fear Can Undermine Accountability

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The Australasian Mining Journal reports that many workers in the resources industry are reluctant to report safety concerns, fearing job termination. According to a recent article, both management and safety regulators, such as WorkSafe Queensland, have been criticized for not adequately supporting workers who raise these issues. One worker stated, “Whistleblowers revealed their colleagues refrained from declaring work incidents because they feared job loss.” In today’s tough economy, the prospect of losing a job can be daunting, making it even harder for employees to speak up. This creates an environment where safety concerns are often ignored, further highlighting the need for reliable technology to take on this critical role. Data doesn’t lie, and it’s much harder to ignore concrete facts.

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How Hoplo Technology Cuts Through Safety Concerns

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While we are not in the business of reporting news, the issues outlined above reinforce our commitment to safety. Humans can be unreliable when it comes to hazard reporting, but Hoplo technology offers a solution. Below, we’ll examine how the human condition can negatively impact safety and how our technology addresses these challenges.

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Human Emotion

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Emotions are a fundamental part of being human, but they can also compromise safety. Consider this scenario: A foreman and two workers are in a pickup truck. The foreman, already upset, drives the truck into a blind spot near a haul truck. The workers sense danger but remain silent due to intimidation and fear of repercussions. The haul truck begins to move, and its tire crushes part of the pickup. The workers narrowly escape, and the foreman only realizes the danger too late. The haul truck operator, who was unaware of the pickup’s presence, initially thought the accident was a joke until he saw the damage, leading to a severe emotional response.

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Challenges with Haul Trucks: Haul trucks are particularly challenging due to their size and the limited visibility for operators. Strict adherence to safety rules and constant communication are crucial to prevent accidents.

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Communication Breakdown: In this case, poor communication between the operator and the foreman contributed to the accident. The operator’s assumption that it was safe to move without double-checking was a critical error.

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Distraction and State of Mind: The operator was distracted by a phone call and anxious to resume work, impairing his judgment. Emotions like frustration or fatigue can lead to risky behavior and errors.

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Complacency: Repeated exposure to the same tasks can lead to complacency, where operators fail to recognize hazards. Continuous awareness and vigilance are necessary to prevent such incidents.

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Visual Confirmation: Maintaining visual contact between ground personnel and operators is essential. In this incident, the lack of visual confirmation led to the operator being unaware of the pickup’s position.

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It’s easy to see how similar scenarios could happen daily across multiple sites. However, with the integration of technology like Hoplo, many of these risks could be significantly reduced.

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Hoplo Technology vs. The Scenario

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Limited Visibility: Hoplo excels at blind spot tracking. While human vision is limited to one direction at a time, Hoplo’s radar system monitors the closest three objects within 5 zones and 3 segments, offering multiple layers of awareness that surpass human capabilities.

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Communication Is a Non-Issue: Hoplo hardware operates independently and doesn’t require communication with other trucks or entities. It assesses the situation objectively and alerts drivers to safety risks, eliminating the need for human interaction. If this hardware were installed on all trucks or equipment across the fleet, every driver would benefit from this advanced warning system.

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Eliminating Emotion and Distractions: While distractions will always occur, Hoplo’s alerts are designed to cut through them, snapping the driver back to the critical task at hand.

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Technology Doesn’t Tire: Hoplo is programmed for continuous awareness and vigilance, ensuring that safety is never compromised due to fatigue or complacency.

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Conclusion

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Stay ahead of the curve when it comes to driver and personnel safety. Hoplo offers a reliable solution for mitigating blind spot incidents and other risks. Invest in a safer future by contacting us to learn how we can integrate Hoplo into your organization’s current safety ecosystem.

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