Sunday October 14, 2018
McGee’s 360° Mobile Visual Noise Indicator (pictured) has been shortlisted as one of the Top 20 best ideas submitted to HS2 as part of their recent innovation challenge which aims to help HS2 become the safest ever major UK project.
HS2 asked its supply chain and industry partners to take part in five innovation challenges surrounding various health and safety themes. McGee took on the demolition challenge which looks to reduce risk to health, safety and the environment during the demolition works on HS2.
With noisy power tools, hammering, and pneumatic impact tools being a daily feature on demolition sites, McGee felt it was important to address the issue of noise at work.
The idea submitted was McGee’s in-house innovation, their 360° Mobile Visual Noise Indicator.
The highly visible noise indicator was designed for use in industrial environments, especially the demolition industry. It can be used for health and safety purposes to indicate when noise levels are sufficiently high for hearing protection to be worn, or in noise sensitive neighbourhoods, to monitor sound levels and indicate when noise nuisance may be an issue.
With 174 entries submitted to HS2 for the challenge, McGee was proud to be shortlisted to the Top 20, and subsequently invited to showcase their innovation to 350 industry leaders at HS2’s first annual Health and Safety Conference “Safe at Heart: HS2 Together” at Millennium Point in Birmingham on 11 October.
Marc Byrne, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, said:
“At McGee Group we always look to achieve beyond best practice and conformance, especially when we are talking about occupational welfare, health & safety and our obligation to the neighbours and communities near our sites. Our 360° Mobile Visual Noise Indicator can assist in all those aspects, and as such, we were thrilled to be judged in the top 20 of HS2’s excellent Safe at Heart initiative. We will continue to not only develop the noise indicator but look to innovate and excel in all our HS2 works.”
Although McGee’s innovation did not make the top five shortlisted submissions, the finalists will now be invited to pitch to a panel of distinguished judges in a Dragons’ Den style format in front of an audience of industry leaders. The winning idea will benefit from the opportunity for HS2 to bring the innovation to the wider market.
Working on behalf of the Skanska Costain Joint Venture, McGee is currently delivering the enabling and demolition contract at Euston Station in the London Borough of Camden as part of the HS2 Southern Sector 3 infrastructure project.