Highway construction has never been considered “the safest” of jobs one can take. It might have state or federal benefits, based on the nature of the work and requirements of the contract, but has never been for the weak of heart in terms of safety versus danger. Fortunately, conditions are improving and safety during road construction projects has become an important consideration.
Improvements Being Made
Highway construction, both at the federal interstate level and on local state highways, continues to get safer for both the workers and the people driving through construction areas. The first step was the concept program which may have been phrased differently in different states, but was essentially, “Highway Construction: Let Them Live So They Can Work” which promoted stricter penalties for traffic violations in construction zones. The people who work on road construction sites tend to know how to stay safe through training and experience. Drivers don’t always understand what’s going on, they don’t understand what a worksite entails, therefore don’t understand what to do when approaching such an area.
This is when signage becomes important. Drivers understand when they see a few road cones on the line between the right lane and shoulder of the road how someone is working there, or perhaps there’s a pothole to avoid. Larger scale work, repaving or building new lanes to a highway, require more time, equipment, and safety measures. Highway construction gets safer as contractors and employers understand how to take safety issues seriously.
Steps Many Employers Are Taking
As employers and contractors understand the importance of employee safety, highway safety improves. The first and most important step employers are taking is to go beyond state regulations and provide more safety measures than needed to assure their workers can safely do their jobs. This includes signage and appropriate safety needs for the people who conduct the work on the ground and on the roads, we rely on. The current economy provides many people who want jobs, the employer’s responsibility requires maintaining an active crew of people properly trained for the job, training programs for new employees, and equipment needed to assure their safety.
More specifically, state and federal law requires certain aspects of the workplace to remain safe. Such laws might dictate specific needs on any job site and especially when working on roads about what has to be done. Responsible employers tend to recognize how laws tend to be a few years behind common-sense measures, and are aware of what changes are coming. Many employers are taking such considerations seriously by incorporating studies about job site safety as their paradigm before such laws become formal regulations.
Do You Need Equipment to Improve Highway Construction Safety?
The short answer is to say, “Yes, yes you do.”
The long answer? Planning highway construction safety and thinking about highway construction safety doesn’t require equipment other than computer technology and deliberate plans toward the safety of employees. That’s all conceptual. Feedback from the people actually working on the road is important toward making changes as needed while the job progresses.
Worksafe Traffic Control Industries Has the Equipment You May Need!
Worksafe Traffic Control Industries takes pride in how we first and foremost evaluate how to protect the strong men and women who conduct roadwork or work on the edge of the road. We provide safety equipment for everyone involved to assure the space is as safe as possible. Our list of products is exhaustive and extensive of anything you and your company might need to safely work in and around traffic.