The incorporation of technology in all industries is a process as transformative as it is delicate.
Familiarising any team with technology is a key step, but one which, even today, still generates resistance, distrust and cynicism.
At Claitec we have seen this reality more than once.
In fact, this type of initial resistance is not uncommon amongst some of the customers who later opt for our work safety and accident prevention solutions.

That’s why today we would like to share three key elements that are sure to ease anyone’s doubts about this process, reduce the potential for conflict and achieve better results.

1) Planning and transparency.
The adoption of technological solutions must be a decision thought out and executed with professionalism and clarity, never losing sight of the fact that the operator is a key player in all industrial processes. This means incorporating technology that really generates a valuable contribution for the industry. A contribution that is compatible with the nature of the daily work, and that is understood in its fullness by the operators. In other words: the human team needs to understand the reason why a technological solution is implemented as well as its scope and goals.

2) Solutions.
Similarly, it’s important to view the incorporation of technology to the industry as the adoption of positive solutions. It is absolutely normal for workers to react to the incorporation of new technologies with what’s known as “resistance to change” – or the fear that the unknown is to generate a break from the dynamics which are already known and dominated, thus displacing the person from his or her task. Therefore, it is essential to accompany this process with clear and transparent information showing the worker that, in many cases, the incorporation of technology will, in fact, assist in his or her task, increase safety and reduce accidents. And that it will allow the industry to improve in efficiency and competitiveness, working as a true ally for all members of the team.

3) Training and opportunities.
The incorporation of technology to the industry also opens a wide range of opportunities for operators to train and improve their training in order to master and handle the new tools with ease. It is very important that the operator feels comfortable using them and feels involved, motivated and eager to improve – never outside the process, always from within. This will allow him or her to improve in their task and achieve better results. And it will have a very positive impact both personally and at a general level.

Do you have any questions about our systems and the ways in which they can contribute to improve the safety of your industry and reduce accidents?
Please, do not hesitate to contact us: we are here to help.

At this time of the year, our workspaces are invaded by an enemy as silent as it is harmful: the cold. Our routines in factories, industries, storage facilities and other similar places are affected by low temperatures, which can become a serious risk to the health of our workers.
In this article we discuss some of the most common questions on this topic and offer five handy suggestion to help beat the low temperatures we must deal with at work:

What are the risks of working in cold environments and their symptoms?

Thermal stress, hypothermia and freezing are the main risks associated with the cold. These tend to threaten workers who perform their tasks in outdoor spaces. The symptoms that can are generally registered with more frequency include: chills, fatigue, loss of coordination, confusion, colic, respiratory problems, allergies, among others.

¿Quiénes pueden verse más afectados ante este tipo de clima?

• Operators of more advanced age, given that their main body defence mechanisms against the cold – such as vasoconstriction and shivering – tend to become weakened with time. This has to do, in many cases, with the loss of their capacity to feel the temperature changes and inadequate adaptation response.
• Workers with chronic diseases are also a population at risk. This group includes people with respiratory insufficiencies, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, addictions, neuropsychiatric diseases and other types of acute diseases.
• Also vulnerable to this type of climate are people who take certain medications for the treatment of chronic diseases.

What measures can be taken to prevent risks?

• You must be committed to take measures that change the factors that affect the thermal balance of the person: be it the activity of the task itself, the temperature of the place, the evaporation of the sweat and the quality of the clothing, among other relevant points.

• Apply specific routines to support operators working in such complex conditions. For example: organise and divide the tasks in a way that they become less intense for each worker – you could decrease the level of effort to perform in the coldest hours of the day. You also need to consider the exercise and mobility of all parts of the body and have food and diets adapted to the situation – ingesting hot liquids helps to recover losses of calorific energy.

• Provide protective equipment for workers: and offer the necessary clothing for each position and each task.

• Follow the weather forecasts regularly: to be clear about the kind of temperatures you can expect and also to learn about experts’ recommendations on the matter.

• Pay great attention to the warning signals provided by the human body: look out for symptoms of hypothermia, frostbite or other illnesses or injuries related to the cold.

In summary, it is important to be clear that the low temperatures are not a mere anecdote of each winter working day.
On the contrary, they suppose a drastic change of normal working conditions and can end up putting in serious risk our integrity and that of all the workers that are part of the team.

At Claitec, we work to improve health in work spaces and prevent accidents.

If you want to have more information about our services or if you are looking for advice, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

We are here to help you: https://www.claitec.com/contact/

We have said it a number of times in other occasions but we feel the need to reiterate it once again:

People – human beings – are the engine behind every one of our initiatives and solutions.

The real value of developments in workplace safety is given by the way in which it contributes to the care of the integrity of those who use the tools and those who work in the work spaces where such systems are applied.

When we see how our clients incorporate the solutions we design and these have a positive impact on their work spaces, reducing the number of accidents and occupational risks, we couldn´t feel any prouder. Even more so if we think about the fact that, to date, there are already more than 25,000 people who benefit or are protected by our solutions!

In addition, we´ve already secured more than 5,000 machines or work vehicles with our solutions:

• The PAS system designed to prevent collisions between people and forklifts.
• The BS solution for blind spots.
• The LSA solution for forklift speed control.
• The forklift collision avoidance system CAS-G2, among many other developments that we have developed to solve real problems that arise in different industries and, in particular, to solve the needs of our customers.

From what experience has shown us, there is better way to retain customers than to deliver quality products.

Our solutions are currently present in more than 20 countries around the world, in complex and varied industries. Having won the trust of so many people and so many companies in all these years of work is the best possible reward for all the effort we have invested. It is also reason for great joy and commitment and the best engine to keep us working and reaching for more.

So, stay tuned to our news channel!

We´ll keep you posted on all the new tools and solutions that we develop so that our clients can face the real problems and safety challenges in the work spaces.

Keen to find out more information on how to improve safety levels in your industry?

Don´t hesitate to contact us, we are here to help.

As every year, April 28^th marks World Day for Safety and Health at Work.

This year, the International Labor Organization (ILO) celebrates its centenary by taking stock of its work and by identifying new ways to continue improving safety and health in the workplace.

The ILO will also be presenting a global report that captures the evolution of occupational safety and health since before the institution´s foundation in 1919 until today, highlighting the main milestones achieved in this area.

The ILO´s global report will address changes in employment patterns, technology (digitization and CIT, work in digital platforms, automation and robotics), demography, globalisation, climate change and other drivers that affect the dynamics of safety and health and the nature of related professions. It will also tackle the risks as well as the recognised and recurring variations that persist in developing and developed countries.

For us, at Claitec, it is a key day in our calendar as we question our working methodology, the value we bring to our customers, our contribution and the main challenges that are still pending.

In our daily work, safety and health at work are key elements.

Our first concern is always the people we work with.

We cannot conceive solutions or tools that don´t look after each of the members of a team properly. Solutions inspired by real problems and by the need to improve. Solutions inspired in the idea of ​​providing our customers with products that help them achieve safer and more efficient industrial spaces.

The following examples are just some of the many solutions developed by our team with the goal of contributing to the improvement of safety and health at work:

• The PAS system: Is a solution that warns drivers when a person is detected in distances between 1 to 6.5 meters. The PAS is a unique system capable of identifying people and objects, even operators located behind a wall or a shelf!
• The VAS solution: The Visual Alert System is an innovative development that warns pedestrians and or forklifts in situations of risk by projecting signals on the ground.
• The FPS system: A solution that prevents falls when working in hazardous areas. When a worker falls, the system stops the operation of the machine, avoiding even greater risks.
• Anti-collision System CAS: A durable, robust and easy-to-install solution that warns drivers of the presence of a forklift when it detects another vehicle at distances of up to 25 meters. The CAS system is capable of detecting any type of industrial, helping prevent accidents or risks of impact.

If you´d like more information about these or any other of our solutions or if you have any questions, please don´t hesitate to contact us, we are here to help!

For further information about this year´s World Day for Safety and Health at Work, visit this link. 

At Claitec, we periodically review our quality policy for its continuous suitability.

We invite you to read it, if you want to download it, press the download button.

Claitec Company policy

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Industrial vehicles/elevators and pedestrians coexist every day in our work spaces.

To minimise the potential risks that this coexistence brings about, we must rely on safety solutions that provide operators with the greatest possible guarantees and create an efficient and modern work space.

And that’s precisely our mission at Claitec.

Proof of it is the latest success story by one of our most renowned customers, Toyota.

The car manufacturing giant combined Claitec’s PAS and VAS Systems to solve a need developed by OEZ Letohrad of the Siemens group, which produces automatic compact switches for customers around the world.

In this case, Toyota evaluated the occupational safety threats present in the mentioned firm and offered a solution to avoid the risk of possible collisions between loading equipment and employees in unsafe places and areas with high volume of traffic, such as crossings and corridors.

The proposed solution consisted in combining a VAS (Visual Alert System) projector with the PAS technology.

The VAS solution is an innovative development designed to warn pedestrians and/or forklifts of potential risk situations by projecting signals on the ground.

While the PAS system warns drivers when a person is detected in distances of 1 to 6.5 meters. It’s a unique system capable of discriminating people and objects, and even detecting operators who are behind a wall or a shelf.

The solution generated for OEZ Letohrad consisted in projecting a warning image on the ground when a pedestrian arrives at a crossing and a dangerous situation is detected.

Similar to a traffic light, it warns about accessing the area and it indicates to the person arriving at that intersection that there is a forklift operating in his or her proximity and inviting them to be careful and act with caution.

The installed system can detect a forklift that is outside the circulating lane and invisible through the panoramic mirrors (which are often placed too high to be seen or not used by operators).

The projector, on the other hand, emits its signal directly on the ground making it a lot easier to be detected by drivers who, therefore are able to circulate more safely and more protected.

The company installed the devices in nine forklifts and placed 13 projectors in total, ensuring a total of twelve spots. The intervention was carried out in just a few days.

If you would like to have more information about these solutions or if you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

We are here to help!

Noise is generally defined as an “inarticulate, usually disagreeable sound”.

And that’s exactly what we’d like to talk about in this post – Noise!

Our aim is to highlight the areas that need to be taken care of in order to avoid noise pollution in the industrial sector and to help improve the workspaces we spent most of our days at.

Industrial work generates a large and almost inevitable amount of noise.

Only the ignition and start-up of any truck or machine contaminates a workspace from a noise point of view. Then, there’s the noises that are generated when loading and unloading large objects and merchandise. The handling of different tools and machineries…

Even people’s conversations!

All of these are aspects that add “inarticulate and disagreeable sounds” in a workspace, and that we can’t ignore.

So, we know that there are noises that are inherent to our daily functioning and that in a way, these are inevitable. But we can certainly generate an importante change and a real improvement in the way in which we normalise those situations and how we act in consequence.

Orientation and training of personnel in these matters is key.

It is essential that the members of the organisation understand the impact that overbearing noise has on health, so that they can be more cautious and try to have a lesser impact around them. In addition, it is of paramount importance that they know how to protect themselves against loud noises and measure their exposure to them.

We must bear in mind that noise can generate chronic health problems, and that being exposed to high levels of noise can end up causing the loss of the sense of hearing.

It is also important to rely on professionals to help us identify – with the appropriate tools – the main elements generating disturbing noises, so that we can start working on them and finding the best way to minimise their impact on the work environment.

A simple way to measure noise in an industry is to start a conversation with another person at arm’s length. If it is not really possible to maintain a conversation in a normal tone and you’re forced to shout in order to understand what is being said, it is clear that noise levels need to be reduced.

A high noise situation can also be dangerous because, for example, an operator may not hear a task partner when he or she gives an emergency warning or tries to warn them about an urgent situation.

It is also important to provide operators with the necessary equipment to protect themselves – be it earplugs or earmuffs – and stop the most intense sounds in their workspace. However, these methods are indicated by the experts as least efficient, while it is recommended to work as a priority on the initial cause of noise, and the other aspects mentioned above.

Would you like to find out more information about this topic or about any of the products we develop at Claitec?

Please, don’t hesitate to contact us! We are here to help you!