DE 
FAUN has won the VAK Innovation Prize for its Reversing Safety System (RSS); the award was presented at the IFAT trade fair. The specialist jury selected our safety system as the most successful from among seven great developments and ideas which were all submitted by members of the Association. THE FAUN team is delighted with the result.
Protection of operators while reversing by means of the Reversing Safety System (RSS)
As a result of the legal requirements of safety standard DIN EN 1501-1: Refuse collection vehicles, rear loaders, must be equipped with technical measures to ensure that it is not possible for operatives to ride on the running boards while the vehicle is reversing. This regulation has led to intense discussions over the years, since it is technically very challenging to implement. In addition, there has always been a demand on the part of the operators to avoid the sometimes long distances when accompanying the reversing vehicle.
For this situation, FAUN has developed a safety bar, which is designed in such a way that riding on the running boards is safe even while the vehicle is reversing, so that the professional association has obtained permission to carry out long-term tests of the new system on multiple vehicles.
The safety bar basically consists of a pivoting tubular bar, which is designed so that an operator standing on the running board can pull down the bar from its idle position above his head to its operating position in front of his chest. When the bar is pulled down, there are two zones for the operator's hands, which are monitored by sensors, and also a hand brake lever, which enables the operator to stop the reverse travel of the vehicle.
The layout of the bar and the sensors forces the operator to look backwards in the actual direction of travel while the vehicle is reversing, which means that any dangers that occur can be seen at an early stage, making an appropriate reaction possible. Further sensors in the pivot bearings of the bar ensure that any misuse of the bar, e.g. using it as a seat while driving forwards, is prevented. The safety bar raises the safety level to such an extent that in future it is guaranteed that operators can travel on a refuse collection vehicle safely, even while it is reversing.
