5 ms·

TFA is not talking about just removing backing alert sound, but replacing it by another one that fades much faster. Are you really in danger of getting crushed

TFA is not talking about just removing backing alert sound, but replacing it by another one that fades much faster. Are you really in danger of getting crushed by a truck if said truck is 200m away? The article also argues that since the current beep travels very far, you hear it all the time on a construction site even if you are not nearby the backing equipment, and thus you start not paying attention to it anymore. A noise that would fade faster could be safer, because you would hear it less frequently and only when you are actually concerned, making it harder to ignore.

sandworm101 5y ago
Try listening to these beeps while wearing proper ear protection. While talking on a radio. Beside a running generator. While you are driving another piece of machinery yourself. Anything loud/penetrating enough to be heard by workers in the immediate area will also be heard by non-workers a great distance away. Policy at my workplace demands that all vehicle backing up, including personal cars, honk their horns twice before doing so. I'm sure the neighbors don't like the noise but after more than a couple accidents it was deemed necessary.
- mhb 5y ago
  > Policy at my workplace demands that all vehicle backing up So the beepers don't actually even work well enough?
  - sandworm101 5y ago
    Not all vehicles have backup beepers. Those are normally only on things bigger than a van. Personal cars/trucks don't have them.
- sailingparrot 5y ago
  > Anything loud/penetrating enough to be heard by workers in the immediate area will also be heard by non-workers a great distance away. Yes except not all noises are created equal. A white noise is very different from a single frequency noise and much less disturbing. After all many people even use white noise to block other type of aggravating noises. Here in Montréal all snow removal vehicles are equipped with a white noise backup alarm. It's snowing a lot in winter, so you have huge snow plows that might back up at any time in the middle of an intersection with pedestrians with earphones not paying attention, and I can say first hand that you cannot miss that noise when it's nearby. While at the same time when they are removing snow one block away from my place, you can still hear it but it doesn't prevent you from sleeping. This type of backing alarm has been approved as safe on construction sites by many places. In Canada at least its very commonly used. e.g: https://www.heavyequipmentguide.ca/article/24957/backup-alarm-being-replaced-more-frequently-with-white-noise-by-bc-businesses https://www.heavyequipmentguide.ca/article/24957/backup-alar...

sandworm101 5y ago

Try listening to these beeps while wearing proper ear protection. While talking on a radio. Beside a running generator. While you are driving another piece of machinery yourself. Anything loud/penetrating enough to be heard by workers in the immediate area will also be heard by non-workers a great distance away. Policy at my workplace demands that all vehicle backing up, including personal cars, honk their horns twice before doing so. I'm sure the neighbors don't like the noise but after more than a couple accidents it was deemed necessary.

mhb 5y ago
> Policy at my workplace demands that all vehicle backing up So the beepers don't actually even work well enough?
- sandworm101 5y ago
  Not all vehicles have backup beepers. Those are normally only on things bigger than a van. Personal cars/trucks don't have them.
sailingparrot 5y ago
> Anything loud/penetrating enough to be heard by workers in the immediate area will also be heard by non-workers a great distance away. Yes except not all noises are created equal. A white noise is very different from a single frequency noise and much less disturbing. After all many people even use white noise to block other type of aggravating noises. Here in Montréal all snow removal vehicles are equipped with a white noise backup alarm. It's snowing a lot in winter, so you have huge snow plows that might back up at any time in the middle of an intersection with pedestrians with earphones not paying attention, and I can say first hand that you cannot miss that noise when it's nearby. While at the same time when they are removing snow one block away from my place, you can still hear it but it doesn't prevent you from sleeping. This type of backing alarm has been approved as safe on construction sites by many places. In Canada at least its very commonly used. e.g: https://www.heavyequipmentguide.ca/article/24957/backup-alarm-being-replaced-more-frequently-with-white-noise-by-bc-businesses https://www.heavyequipmentguide.ca/article/24957/backup-alar...