Construction Safety Equipment Manufacturer NS Facing Red Tape With Government – Halifax | Globalnews.ca

A Nova Scotia entrepreneur says he continues to face red tape in his home province after his traffic safety device was approved in Nova Scotia, even though it was approved elsewhere.

Site 20/20 Inc. Michelle Holohan, CEO of The Guardian, is the creator of the Guardian. smartflagger, an automated, flagged traffic device that makes construction sites safer. It is essentially a portable traffic light that is operated by one person with a tablet.

He says it has the potential to save lives.

“They are still on the job, managing the job, but from a safe location and not directly in front of traffic, where they could be hit by a vehicle,” Holohan said.

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The 26-year-old started the project six years ago at Dalhousie University. It has since been approved in 38 US states and eight Canadian provinces – but not Nova Scotia. Holohan says he has been working with the Nova Scotia government for five years to get SmartFlager approved in the province, but has been met with red tape.

“The one province that has continued to push us out is Nova Scotia — our hometown,” Holohan said.

“I have a board of directors and investors who want to see this company grow, but they keep asking me, why am I here? Why am I in a province that doesn’t support our mission, our goals?”

The Public Works Department declined an on-camera interview, but said in an email that it plans to lay out rules for automatic flagging devices in an updated traffic control manual in the spring of 2023.

“We plan to have rules for automated flagging devices in updated manuals,” said Public Works Department spokeswoman Deborah Baer. “We want to make sure our work areas are safe for workers and motorists.”

Construction Safety Nova Scotia says reducing risk at work sites is paramount, as the opportunity for error and accidents is always present.

“There is a near-limitless opportunity to apply technology to the construction sector,” said Perry Shankersingh, director of quality and innovation at Construction Safety Nova Scotia, “to the extent that we can use technology to help improve communication between workers and traffic.” You can use. The people they are trying to manage are always a step in the right direction.”

It’s a move Nova Scotia has been slow to move forward, as other provinces have approved the Smart Flagger less than a year later, according to Holohan.

“Nova Scotia is not a massive revenue opportunity, but at the end of the day, this product was created to improve the safety of traffic control people and flag carriers, and not to do so in my home province, it is painful, ” They said .

Holohan said he would love to have his company at home in Nova Scotia, but without government support, he says he and his technology could be carried out of the province.