While the safety of the public traveling through the work zone is important, the safety of the worker performing tasks within the work zone is equally as important. The Company’s safe work practices for working in work zones include:
- Employees are required to wear highly visible clothing and a light-colored hard hat. During the day, workers must wear a vest, shirt, or jacket that is orange, yellow, yellow-green, or a fluorescent version of these colors. At night, the vest, shirt, or jacket must be retroreflective.
- Workers are required to work where drivers can see them, but as far as possible from traffic. Drivers may not be able to see workers when the sun is low in the sky or when it is rainy, foggy, or dark.
- Workers are to get in and out of traffic spaces and heavy equipment areas quickly and safely.
- Workers are to stay alert.
- When on foot, workers must separate themselves from equipment as much as possible.
- Schedule work tasks to keep workers on foot out of areas where heavy equipment is in use.
- Channelize dump trucks leaving the work space and keep workers on foot out of that channel.
- Use flexible, colored poles (as used for snowplow markers) or temporary pavement marking inside the work space to mark pedestrian-free areas or flow-of-traffic lines. These delineators should be installed so that the public will not notice or respond to them, but the workers will recognize them as guideposts.
- Train subcontractors, crews, operators, and truck drivers to understand any symbols, markers, and colors used to separate workers on foot from equipment within the work space.
- Design the work space to eliminate or decrease backing and blind spots; when feasible pull trucks in and let the operation catch up to them.
In addition, the Company’s safe work practices relating to equipment operation include:
- When repairs are made on site, the operator’s controls are to be made inoperable so that the equipment cannot be moved by another worker while repairs are being made.
- Equipment operators are required to set parking brakes when leaving equipment unattended.
- When equipment is parked on an incline, equipment operators are required to chock wheels in addition to setting parking brakes. Chocks should be of sufficient size and configuration to immobilize the equipment.
- Employees are required to report equipment problems to the designated competent person. Employees have the authority to shut down unsafe equipment without repercussion.
- Employees are required to conduct equipment inspection utilizing Company provided checklists.
- Maintain operator manuals in the equipment cab.
- When night work is conducted, ensure that light strips are utilized to better delineate vehicles and equipment.  Operators must turn off this additional lighting before leaving the work area.
- Ensure that equipment is equipped with rollover protective structures (ROPS).
- Plan the internal work activity area to minimize backing-up maneuvers of construction vehicles to minimize the exposure to risk.
- Address safe means for work vehicles and equipment to enter and exit traffic lanes and for delivery of construction materials to the work space, based on individual project characteristics and factors.
- Prevent equipment rollovers by:
- Maintaining proper tire pressure,
- Knowing material density and surface stability,
- Using spotters with two-way radio communication,
- Using seat belts and remaining belted while operating equipment,
- Using edge guards on trailers to prevent rollovers,
- Using spotters during loading and unloading of equipment from transport trailers, and
- Utilizing full-width loading ramps on transport trailers.
For more information regarding our work zone safety program please reffer to your employee safety manual or see your Project Supervisor. WORK SAFELY.
Matt Timberlake