No compromises on safety

'Fatal accident with excavator', 'Injured in accident with excavator, trauma helicopter called', 'Road worker dead in accident with excavator' and 'Man run over by excavator'. You read it more and more often on social media, news sites or in the newspaper. Despite all the safety measures we take, it happens too often: One is working around the machine and the operator and excavator do not see each other as they approach, or an excavator is performing work in urban areas and overlooks a cyclist or pedestrian crossing the construction site. 

Earthworkers and other traffic participants end up under the vehicle in this way, resulting in physical injury and sometimes even death. Verhoeven Grondverzetmachines BV and Takeuchi Benelux want to make absolutely no concessions in the safety of man and machine. Therefore, as importer of Takeuchi mini and midi-excavators, Verhoeven set to work to come up with a solution for this urgent problem. 

The outcome? 

A dynamic safety system that timely detects objects outside the operator's field of vision and automatically stops the machine the moment dangerous situations arise: the Takeuchi Safety Guard system. This system automatically brings the Takeuchi excavator to a stop the moment objects outside the operator's field of vision, are too close to the machine. Both while driving - and while slewing with the upper structure.

People are working around the machine, and the operator and ground worker do not see each other as they approach each other.

How does the system work? 

If you choose to have Takeuchi Safety Guard installed, a set of sensors is placed on the back of the machine. These sensors measure the distance of the machine from all objects that are outside the operator's direct field of view at any given time. By "out-of-sight" we mean anything the operator cannot see when looking straight ahead or sideways. 

In addition, software is also built into the machine. This newly developed software measures both the speed of driving and the speed of slewing the superstructure. 

Through a combination of these measured values, the excavator is alert at any time to objects that may pose a danger - in terms of collisions and/or collisions. Once the Takeuchi Safety Guard detects that the machine is coming too fast or close to an object while driving or slewing, the system halts all movement of the machine, bringing it to a complete stop in no time. The engine continues running, but work is briefly interrupted. After a few seconds, operation of the machine is automatically released again. Then the operator is able to carefully swing or drive away from the object. 

 On which Takeuchi machines is this possible? 

The Takeuchi Safety Guard is available as an option from the Takeuchi TB240 (and all Takeuchi machines of higher tonnage). 

Starting with the four-ton machine class, it is interesting to add an extra pair of eyes at the rear of the machine - because the work area in this machine (with cab) can no longer be fully overlooked.