In and around traincare depots, where a momentary lapse of concentration or small error of judgement can have dire consequences, properly engineered solutions can play a major part in protecting personnel and equipment. Engineers at Zonegreen have applied the concept of interlocking, long familiar in the rail industry, to create increasingly sophisticated systems with the potential to prevent personal injury or costly damage.
These interlocks are key to high-tech systems and can prevent unauthorised train movements or other actions initiated by personnel who have not followed the stipulated safety procedures or precautions.
The concept of interlocking has been applied to create increasingly sophisticated systems with the potential to prevent personal injury or costly damage
Zonegreen’s interlocking systems protect personnel and third party equipment from vehicle movements, the overhead line (OLE) and the third rail. Examples of equipment that can be interlocked include:
- High Level Gantries
- Cranes
- Jacks
- Bogie Drops
- Turn Tables
- Depot Doors
- Mobile Gantries
- Pressure Washes
- GapSafe Systems
- Boxing Rings
- Fall Arrest Systems
- Cleaning areas around third rail
- Manual earthing clips / poles
One important example of interlocking deployed by Zonegreen within a traincare depot is the physical prevention of access to high-level working platforms whilst overhead line equipment remains live. The gate to the platforms may only be opened with a key that cannot be withdrawn from a control panel until the OLE has been safely isolated and earthed. It is also possible to monitor the position of the gate locks to ensure that they are all closed and locked prior to enabling the reenergisation of the OLE.
The operation of Zonegreen’s trapped key interlocking solutions can be seen in operation in the film below.