WHAT’S AT STAKE?

WORK ZONE SAFETY

Motorists on our highways can anticipate to see many work zones through the usual myriad of construction scenes littered with construction workers. First and foremost, motorists must keep safety in mind for themselves and the construction workers.

WHAT’S THE DANGER?

FACTS

The dangers of driving in the” construction season” are evident.

• During the past 5 years in work zone crashes more than 4,400 people died (85 percent of which was the driver or passenger), and 200,000 people were injured
• Drivers are the most frequent fatality in work zone crashes
• Most work zone fatalities involve working-age adults
• Rear-end crashes (running into the rear of a slowing or stopping vehicle) are the most common type of work zone crash.
• Fatal work zone crashes occur most often in summer and fall.
• The majority of fatal work zone crashes occurred on roads with speed limits greater than 50 mph.
• Stopping distance for motor vehicles at 50 mph is 300 feet for a dry road, 400 feet for a wet roadway, and 1250 feet for icy pavement.
• A loaded 80,000 lb. tractor-trailer requires almost 50% more stopping distance.
• It takes only an extra 25 seconds to cover 1 mile at 45 mph compared to 65 mph.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

WORK ZONE SAFETY TIPS

Protect lives of motorists and construction workers by following these tips.

• Stay Alert and Minimize Distractions
• Keep Your Headlights On
• Pay Attention to the Road
• Merge into the Proper Lane
• Don’t tailgate
• Obey the Posted Speed Limit
• Change Lanes Safely
• Expect the Unexpected
• Slow Down
• Keep a Safe Distance
• Pay Attention
• Obey Road Crew Flaggers
• Keep up with traffic flow
• Check Road Conditions Before You Travel
• Be Patient and Stay Calm

ROAD CONSTRUCTION SAFETY

Statistics have shown us that both motorists and construction personnel in construction highway work zones contribute to injuries and fatalities.

Warmer weather means that roadwork season is in full effect which means more and more work zones are popping up on our interstates, highways, and streets. It’s also the time of year when more people are on the road traveling greater distances to the beach, mountains and other vacation spots.

10 Road Construction Work Zone Safety Tips

Have a Plan: Every road construction project should have a transportation management plan. The plan should consist of a temporary traffic control plan to protect workers by safely conducting traffic around or through the work zone. You should also have a traffic control plan for inside the work zone that manages the flow of heavy equipment, construction vehicles, and workers.

Properly Control Traffic: The work zone should consist of an advanced warning area with warning signs alerting motorists of upcoming changes in driving conditions, a transition area using traffic control devices for lane closures and traffic pattern shifts, a buffer area, the work area and a termination area to allow traffic to resume back to normal and a sign indicating that the work zone has ended.

Create Separate Work Areas: Road construction work zones are busy areas usually with several work activities taking place at the same time. To avoid accidents, use cones, barrels, and barriers to clearly delineate specific areas of the work zone such as material storage, areas where heavy equipment is being used, vehicle parking and safe areas for workers on foot to move about in.

Wear Proper Safety Equipment: Proper safety equipment should be worn by all personnel inside the work zone. Personal protective equipment (PPE) including hard hats, steel-toed boots, highly visible clothing and, depending on the noise levels, hearing protection.

All highly visible clothing whether it’s a vest, jacket or shirt should be bright fluorescent orange or lime/yellow and have visible reflective material especially if working at night and should meet ANSI Class 2 or 3 standards.

Be Aware of Your Surroundings: Regardless of what your job duties entail in the work zone, you should always be mindful of what’s going on around you. Avoid walking behind any vehicles that may be backing up or into the swing radius of heavy equipment.

Whenever possible, face traffic while inside the work zone or have a spotter available when your back is turned. Spotters should also be used to monitor the movement of vehicles and heavy equipment inside the work zone in addition to monitoring traffic to alert worker to any potential dangers.

Avoid Blind Spots: Vehicles and heavy equipment are constantly moving about inside the work zone including dump trucks, compactors, pavement planers, excavators, pavers, and rollers.

If you are on foot and working near these machines while in operation remember that the driver has a limited line of sight. Always stay in visual contact with the driver. A good rule of thumb to follow is that if you can’t see them then they probably don’t see you.

Have a Competent Person on Hand: A competent person should be onsite whenever work is being performed. Per OSHA, a competent person is someone “capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings, or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them. “A competent person is needed to conduct hazard assessments and regular inspections of the worksite.

A competent person is also needed to select the appropriate class of PPE to be used by workers and to approve the appropriate types of traffic control devices. Workers should report any unsafe hazards or equipment to the competent person assigned to the work zone so they can be corrected immediately.

Start Each Workday with a Safety Meeting: In addition to ensuring that all personnel at the jobsite have the proper training required it is also a good idea to have a quick safety meeting before work begins. Since conditions can change greatly from day to day in the work zone workers should be briefed on the work activity scheduled each day and notified of all potential hazards. This is also a good time to ensure that all workers have and are wearing the proper PPE required for the work being done that day.

Have a Site-Specific Safety Program: Every road construction project is different and each work zone has its own unique hazards and challenges so creating a safety program geared specifically for the site can go a long way in preventing accidents.

The site specific safety program include identifying all hazards and plans to control and mitigate them, schedules to routinely inspect all equipment and material, a plan for first aid and emergency medical care in the event of an accident and safety training schedules for all employees.

Stay Hydrated: Workers performing road construction are susceptible to overexertion and heat-related illnesses.

Workers should drink plenty of water or liquids high in electrolytes like sports drinks or coconut water. Workers should also get out of the heat and sun as much as possible especially on extremely hot days to avoid heatstroke, dehydration and heat exhaustion.

FINAL WORD

Entering a work zone on our highways is literally a “two – way street.” One part is the safety of motorist and the other part is the safety of our workers. The public at large has an investment in protecting and guaranteeing the safety and security of all our citizens who participate and use the work zone no matter what time of the year.