Tips for Ensuring Work Zone Traffic Safety
As the summer is approaching, you know it’s the beginning of the roadwork season. Along with road constructions or repair work on the roads, it’s essential to look after the health and safety of the workers at the construction site as well as the pedestrians by following proper safety guidelines and regulations to prevent any mishaps. Although the traffic control course educates and trains the traffic guards to monitor and direct the traffic, it’s also everyone’s responsibility in the work zone from the operational manager to the laborers to stay vigilant and follow the work zone safety guidelines mentioned below for additional security:
Have a Traffic Control Plan
Whenever road work has to happen, it’s essential to have a proper and systemized traffic control system for different construction sites. If the construction is being done at more than one site, it’s ideal to direct the traffic accordingly to not cause any potential road accidents.
Also, all traffic control devices should be used to warn the pedestrians or vehicles in the work zone such as using barrels, barriers, signs, or cones to alert them.
Wear Safety Equipment
Wearing proper safety equipment will help all personnel in the work zone to keep any mishaps at bay. Equipment like heavy-duty hats, hearing protection, steel boots, etc., should be worn at all times. Highly visible clothing like a shirt, jacket, or vest with vibrant fluorescent colors and reflective materials allows the drivers from a distance to alert on a shadowy night that a worker is at the construction site to prevent car accidents.
Have a Qualified Person at Disposal
An efficient, well-trained, and qualified person will monitor the procedures at the place and will make sure if they are safe enough to prevent any dangers or hazards to the workers or the surroundings in the work zone. They will also keep the controls updated to match the varying needs at the construction site. An efficient person must be at the workers’ disposal at all times in case any measure or control needs to be corrected immediately.
They will also approve the safety equipment to be worn by the workers and traffic control devices to be in the work zone and the surroundings to eliminate predictable hazards.
Training
Proper training should be provided from flaggers to workers on site. Flaggers must have extensive knowledge of the different signs to use while moving heavy-duty equipment in the work zone with the help of cranes or dump trucks.
While workers on foot should keep an eye for the blind spots for vehicles on-site to avoid accidents. The best rule of thumb is that if you are not able to see the vehicle driver then the vehicle driver probably can’t see you either.
Place Proper Lighting
High chances of the occurrence of accidents are at night or at dusk. Workers can trip and fall, a vehicle may bump into the work zone, or the worst could happen as well. To prevent these risks, vibrant lights should be illuminated all around the construction site along with the flagger stations. Lights will provide a pristine view even at nighttime for workers and operators to work safely and comfortably.
