Tim Truex, midsize equipment and electrical manager for Kokosing Construction wanted a way to prevent unauthorized operators from starting equipment, especially cranes, aerial work platforms, forklifts and CDL vehicles.
When site supers get in a rush to move something, there is a temptation to let untrained workers get in the crane or telehandlers for a quick lift, Truex says.
“They can be a danger to themselves, other operators and equipment.” Kokosing wanted to eliminate any chance of this ever happening. Some OEMs offer electronic keypad access on some machines, but all an unqualified operator has to do is get the code from a qualified buddy and he’s up and running.
The solution was to issue every operator a RFID swipe card (radio frequency identification) and code the card to reflect which pieces of machinery each operator was qualified to run.
“If he doesn’t have the training, he can swipe his card to his heart’s content, but he can’t start the equipment,” Truex says. The program was coordinated between Kokosing’s fleet managers and the company HR department and cost about $1,200 per machine with six to eight man-hours for each installation.
