Introduction to Work Zone Safety

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1. Slide 1

   How would you like it if people drove their cars thru your office?

2. Slide 2

   Work Zone Safety

   • More than 40,000 people are injured each year as a result of motor vehicle crashes in work zones
3. Slide 3

   How serious is the WZ Problem?

   • 835 fatalities
   • $4.4 billion Annual Cost
   • 75 workers killed by vehicles/equipment
   • 2007 Statistics
4. Slide 4

   How is Motorist Crash Risk Affected?

5. Slide 5

   Drowsy Driving in Work Zones

6. Slide 6

   Drunk Driving in Work Zones

7. Slide 7

   Highway Equipment Related Fatalities

   • Passengers
   • 8%
   • Workers on Foot
   • 57%
   • Operators
   • 35%
   • Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
8. Slide 8

   Highway Worker Fatalities

   • Construction Equipment
   • 41%
   • Other
   • 18%
   • Vehicle Entering
   • Work Area
   • Traffic Crash
   • 22%
   • Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
   • 19%
9. Slide 9

   Work Zone Safety

   • Speed: the number one concern in work zone safety
10. Slide 10

    Work Zone Safety

    • Distracted Driving:
    • Reaching/looking for items in the car
    • Things, events outside of the car/rubbernecking
    • Cell phones
    • Adjusting the radio
    • Eating
    • Grooming
    • Children and pets
    • Unsafe Condition
11. Slide 12

    What does WZ Safety mean to the public?

12. Slide 13

    Work Zone Safety

    • As a result of the Public’s Perception…
    • …the desired effect of our traffic control sometimes gets compromised.
13. Slide 16

    What does WZ safety mean to the contractor?

14. Slide 19

    Safety

    • Remember, there is only 1 goal
    • You, the motorist, bicyclist and the pedestrian must go home at the end of each work day.
    • There are no other acceptable alternatives.
15. Slide 21

    Traffic Issues

    • Sight Distance – Blind Curves
    • Need extra signage
    • High Speed – High Traffic Volume
    • No gaps for merging vehicles
    • Stopping traffic is impractical and unsafe
    • Tailgating
    • Motorists following trucks into work space
    • Panic stops
    • The motorist NEEDS MORE information
16. Slide 22

    Work Zone Issues

    • Acceleration/Deceleration lanes
    • Short or non-existent
    • Signage indicating merge/exit points
    • Signs give vague information
    • Messages left up 24/7
    • Flagging operations
    • Works best with low traffic and moderate construction trucks
    • Low construction truck traffic means intermittent flagging
    • Proper rules are forgotten
    • Information must be accurate and REAL TIME!
17. Slide 24

    Work Zone Safety

    • Congestion on our roads is growing. Vehicle miles of travel are growing at a rate greater than mile of roadway:
    • Between 1982 and 2002, vehicle miles traveled increased by 79 percent, while highway lane miles only increased 3 percent during the same period.
    • (U.S. Department of transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway
    • Statistics 2001, Publication No. FHWA-PL-02-020 Washington, DC , 2001.)
18. Slide 25

    Internal Work Zone Traffic Control for worker protection

    • Traffic cones from Europe
    • Not proper use of Jersey Barrier
19. Slide 26

    Additional Truck Mounted Attenuators

    • (as needed for project)
20. Slide 27

    Additional Message Boards

21. Slide 29

    Backer Spotter

22. Slide 30

    Trucks – access and egress

23. Slide 31

    Additional Law Enforcement

24. Slide 32

    Making Worker more Visible

25. Slide 33

    Additional Warnings

26. Slide 34

    Additional Warnings

27. Slide 35

    CONES ARE ONLY

    • APPROPRIATE AT SHORT
    • TERM SITES
28. Slide 36

    Traffic Control Devices

    • Effective
    • Changeable message signs
    • Arrow panels
    • Warning flags and lights on signs
    • Effective buffer space
    • Trained flaggers and spotters
29. Slide 37

    Other TCDs & Safety Devices

    • Enhanced flagger setups
    • Intrusion alarms
    • Rumble strips
    • Pace or pilot vehicle
    • High quality work zone pavement markings and removal of misleading markings
    • Reduced channelizing device spacing
30. Slide 38

    Good TTC Achieves Multiple Goals

    • Movement of vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians
    • Accommodates transit operations
    • Provides access to property and utilities
    • Protects workers and work operations
    • Allows efficient completion of the work
    • Bottom line = reasonably safe & efficient movement of road users while protecting workers & completing work efficiently
31. Slide 39

    What is an Internal Traffic Control Plan?

    • Developed by the contractor
    • Coordinates vehicle and equipment movement inside the work zone
    • Limits exposure of workers on foot to construction traffic
    • Reduce hazards for equipment operators
32. Slide 41

    “Stage” the Roadway Work Zone

    • Advance Warning
    • Transition
    • Activity – Work space, Buffer space, Traffic space
    • Termination
33. Slide 42

    Work Zone Safety

    • Traffic control plan is needed
    • Traffic control devices must be used inside the work zone
    • First warning should be 4-8 times (in feet) the speed limit (in mph)
    • Flaggers and others need high visibility, reflective clothing and training
34. Slide 43

    Principles of Safe Traffic Control

    • Plan for Safety
    • Keep if Moving
    • Communicate
    • Monitor
    • Plan for the Worst
    • Train
35. Slide 44

    The Future of Work Zones

    • It is possible to reduce work zone accidents
    • Goals:
    • Indentify and create best practices
    • Implement Internal Traffic Control strategies for improved motorist information on destination and delay
36. Slide 45

    Considerations

    • Pre-shift meeting with all involved
    • Everyone must know what is happening for the day.
37. Slide 46

    Work Zone Safety

    • However…
    • “The owner would not always allow us to place additional safety devices on the job!”
    • “We did not get paid for a lot of those extra safety devices!”