In the lifting industry, hindsight often arrives too late. Accidents, near-misses, and radio failures have long been accepted as part of the job – until now. A growing number of contractors across Australia are shifting their mindset from reactive to proactive safety with the help of one simple device: The Buddie System.
Created by experienced dogmen Jade Harris and Gary Panagiotidis, the Buddie System has become a new frontier in personal protective equipment (PPE). It’s designed to protect dogmen and crane operators when communication fails – acting as an automatic safeguard between the person on the ground and the one in the cab.
“When you think about safety, it’s not about what happens after something goes wrong – it’s about stopping it before it does,” said Gary. “The Buddie System is like a seatbelt. You don’t wait for an accident to start wearing one. You just do it because it makes sense.”
A seatbelt for the crane industry
At its core, the Buddie System strengthens communication and saves crucial seconds in high-risk environments. When the link between the operator and the dogman is broken – due to loss of signal, or inaccessible radio– an instant alert is sent to the crane cabin, prompting the operator to stop immediately.
“It’s that extra layer of safety,” said Jade. “You can’t put a price on peace of mind. Just like a harness on a live edge or a helmet on site, this is the next essential piece of PPE.”
For decades, crane operations have relied almost entirely on two-way radios which are fantastic means of communication. But as any operator knows, radios fail – batteries die, frequencies drop, and signals cut out at the worst times. The Buddie System removes that single point of failure. “It’s not about replacing radios,” Gary said. “It’s about adding redundancy – a backup plan that could save a life.”
Proactive safety makes business sense
The latest Buddie System campaign puts it bluntly: “Protect your workers. Protect your business.”
It’s a message that aligns perfectly with the Hierarchy of Controls – one of the cornerstones of modern safety management. The Buddie System addresses three of the five control levels: engineering, administrative, and PPE. In doing so, it helps companies move away from reactive risk management toward genuine prevention.
“Too often, companies invest in safety after an incident. We want to flip that thinking,” said Gary. “Being proactive is not just safer – it’s smarter business. It reduces downtime, protects against liability, and shows clients and regulators that you’re serious about safety.”
Adoption across the industry
The message about safety has resonated widely, especially following the launch with Marr Contracting (Marr), which became the first business in the world to implement the new crane safety technology. Its adoption is paving the way for others in the industry.
The Buddie System is already in use across General Cranes’ fleet, Multiplex on two Melbourne CBD projects, Acciona on two of its sites in the Sydney Western Harbour Tunnel and the Alkimos desalination site, as well as across the mobile crane fleets of Premier Cranes and Quinlan Cranes. PCF Formwork, a Victoria-based business, is also using The Buddie System.
Trials are under way at Hutchinson Builders in Queensland and John Holland at the Toowoomba Hospital project, and the team at The Buddie System is in talks with other large Tier 1 construction companies for future implementation.
In Western Australia, the system has been adopted by major mining companies and port operations, including a gold-mining site and several large industrial contractors. It is also gaining momentum internationally, with Cookes Industrial Supplies and Shaw’s Wire Ropes distributing the product in New Zealand. Ahead of its UK launch, the team is collaborating with distribution partners and will showcase the product at LEEA’s LiftEx 2025. The brand is also planning to expand into North America in early 2026.
Back home, The Buddie System is partnering with leading distributors including Ranger, LiftQuip, Bullivants, Stenhouse, All Lifting, Certex, KT Keble’s Trading, Barry Evans Lifting and Melbourne Lifting. The product has also secured shelf space with Blackwoods, positioning it alongside Australia’s leading PPE products.
“That was a proud moment,” said Jade. “Seeing our product listed next to hard hats and harnesses really shows that the industry is starting to view it as standard protective equipment.”
‘Peace of mind when you’re in the blind
Crane operator Todd Duggan says the Buddie System has already changed the way he works. “When you’re operating on the blind side of a building and your radio cuts out, you’re guessing,” he said. “Every crane driver has had that moment when communication drops – and it’s a terrible feeling.”
He believes the system should be mandatory when working with a man box. “There’s always a niggle in the back of your head when you’ve got people in the man box,” he said. “The consequences are much greater when people are in there. It just puts your mind at ease knowing you’ve got that extra layer of safety.
“The Buddie System takes that risk away. If a glove catches or something goes wrong, the dogman just rips the cord, and an alarm goes off in my cab. I stop immediately. It’s that simple. For peace of mind when you’re in the blind, you can’t go past it.”
Industry recognition has followed the system’s rise. The Buddie System is a finalist at this year’s WorkSafe Awards and nominated in multiple categories at LiftEx 2025. It’s also being showcased at the Brisbane Crane Industry Council of Australia Conference, highlighting how far it has come from a home-grown safety concept to an internationally recognised innovation.
Feedback from users continues to be overwhelmingly positive. “The comments we hear most often are about confidence and calmness on site,” said Gary. “People feel safer knowing there’s a backup, that they’re not just completely reliant on radio contact.”
To meet growing demand, the company is developing a new multi-port charging dock for easier fleet management, expected early next year.
Changing attitudes before it’s too late
While adoption is accelerating, Gary and Jade stress that the goal isn’t to capitalise on fear – it’s to prevent tragedy. “We don’t want this product to gain attention because something went wrong,” Jade said. “We want companies to act now, not after an accident.”
Gary agrees: “Too many safety improvements come from lessons learned the hard way. The Buddie System gives the industry a chance to be proactive, not reactive. Don’t wait for a serious incident to remind you why safety matters.”
A scalable solution
Compact, easy to install, and cost-effective, The Buddie System is designed for scalability across fleets and sites of any size. “It’s simple technology, but that’s the beauty of it,” said Jade. “Anyone can use it, and once they do, they wonder how they ever worked without it.”
In an industry defined by precision and timing, prevention is everything. The Buddie System isn’t about adding complexity, it’s about removing uncertainty. And as more companies discover, being proactive isn’t just safer. It’s the only sensible way forward.