2014 was when I had
my accident, and yeah,
that was a rough year, that year.
Walked past and around behind this truck,
and it nearly run over me.
Didn't think I was gonna make it, so,
made a jump for it.
Fractured my pelvis in two spots,
and I was off work
about four, five months.
It's called a synchronised sprayer.
What it does is it spreads aggregate and
sprays bitumen in one forward motion,
which is quite different to
the way we currently do it,
where we have a separate sprayer
that travels in the forward motion,
and then we have a number
of reversing cover trucks,
that cover that bitumen.
So this new machine,
the difference is that
it sprays the bitumen
and spreads the aggregate
in the one forward motion.
Traditionally, we need to
have a series of spotters,
so guys that are walking
alongside the truck,
looking out for overhead obstructions,
looking out for powerlines,
low-hanging branches.
The truck doesn't require a hoist.
Without a hoist, we no
longer require spotters
to be in close proximity
to the rear of a truck,
so, significant safety advantages.
It's sort of a generational change where
you've got the operator looking
in the forward direction.
You've got no people
and plant in that area,
so it's certainly a huge step
forward for the industry.
To see this new machine, and
the effort that we're going
to make our worksite safer,
it's been a real buzz for
the whole, whole crew.
Everyone just wants to get
home to their family at night,
they're the ones that's gotta stay safe.
