Successful collaboration at Renewi by A-SAFE and BonoTraffics

Waste processing and recycling company Renewi is traditionally a transport company and over the years the number of transport movements on and around the company increased. To ensure safety, the company sought a party that would think along and provide the right facilities. It was that specific request that resulted in a collaboration between A-SAFE of Maasdijk and BonoTraffics of Kampen.

Rutger van Aken, traffic consultant at BonoTraffics, says that in order to improve traffic safety on a company site it is essential to take stock of the current situation: "Safety is the most important thing in any company, and inside a building, with the occupational health and safety (ARBO) technical issues are often well arranged and usually required by law. But around the building it still leaves much to be desired. Companies apparently have a free pass to arrange things as they see fit. The result is often inefficient and unsafe walking and driving routes; one of the biggest dangers is that flows of pedestrians and vehicles mix and cross each other without traffic measures. Our job is to survey the terrain. We conduct interviews with employees and visitors and once we have an understanding of the flows and bottlenecks, we write a traffic plan. An orderly site with recognizable measures provides structure and a traffic-safe company site."

Fixed walking routes

Bas Kruysdijk, sales director at A-SAFE: "We had already supplied our crash protection to various Renewi sites in recent years to protect buildings and walkways against vehicle collisions. Now that Renewi was tackling all its sites company-wide, BonoTraffics prepared the traffic plans for many locations. We then went to work on street implementation. Most importantly, employees can now only follow established walking routes through physical shielding, and crosswalks are clear to drivers so they know when to expect pedestrians. The risk of collision with a forklift, a pallet truck or a truck has been reduced. In the process, we also took a detailed look at all the elephant paths and modified them. This sometimes evoked some resistance, as some employees had been walking the same route for more than 30 years and were wedded to their unofficial walking route."

Simple adjustments

Van Aken: "It was important to Renewi that there would be mandatory walking routes, with also clearly visible crossings for the drivers. They sit high up and need wide visibility to assess traffic situations. A-SAFE created highly visible crossing points. Drivers and pedestrians see each other better. Safety is a high priority for every company, especially when it comes to business processes, such as operating machinery or storing goods. Safety on an outdoor site is often an underrated issue, but with simple modifications such as making mini-roundabouts or installing bollards, road safety is promoted."

Kruysdijk: "We have made sure that we make a substantial contribution to company safety with our products, certainly our bright yellow color helps. Our products are stainless and do not experience discoloration from sunlight. This also makes them ideally suited for outdoor locations. The resilience is sublime and can take a beating. In the event of an impact, the force is distributed evenly, so that the attachment to the floor is spared for longer. Among others, we are widely active in the logistics and food industry, including at companies such as DHL, DSV, FrieslandCampina and Bol.com. As long as companies have busy internal and external traffic flows, we are of added value."