Tag: Work Zone Safety

Road Work Safety Partners Kicking Off Construction Season With Work Zone Awareness Week Event

Posted on by Andria Hine
Source: Indiana Department of Transportation

You are invited to join the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) along with highway construction, utility industry and public safety partners on Tuesday, April 4 at 11 a.m. to mark the ceremonial start to highway construction season. Help us promote safe driving behaviors near work zones and raise awareness about Indiana’s Move-Over Laws as part of Work Zone Awareness Week.

WHO: INDOT and a large assembly of highway construction, utility industry and public safety partners, including:

  • INDOT Commissioner Joe McGuinness,
  • Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter,
  • Indiana Dept. of Labor Commissioner Rick Ruble,
  • Indiana Constructors Inc. President Richard Hedgecock,
  • American Traffic Safety Services Association – Indiana Chapter,
  • Road Construction Awareness Corporation

WHERE: INDOT Traffic Management Center and Indiana State Police Post 52 (8620 East 21st Street, Indianapolis, IN. 46219)

WHEN: Tuesday, April 4 at 11 a.m. until noon. Please arrive early.

WHY: This year’s National Work Zone Awareness Week theme is “Work Zone Safety Is In Your Hands.” We intend to raise motorists’ awareness about the personal responsibility for making safe choices and the consequences of dangerous driving behaviors near highway work zones. Our goal is to improve safety, reduce crashes and injuries, and bring the number of fatalities to zero. Safety requires participation from everyone, especially drivers, to make all highway work zones as safe as possible. We are all in this together.

For more information about Indiana’s Move-Over Laws, go to http://www.in.gov/isp/2890.htm.

Please share this invitation. Safety is the top priority of INDOT and its partners, and we need as much support as we can gather to make this construction season a success. Hardhats and safety vests or orange clothing are strongly encouraged.

Stay informed
Follow @INDOTEast on Twitter and INDOT East Central on Facebook. Find links to all INDOT social media pages at http://bit.ly/INDOTsocial.

Subscribe to receive text and email alerts about INDOT projects and services at http://bit.ly/INDOTsubscription.

Motorists can learn about highway work zones and other traffic alerts at indot.carsprogram.org, 1-800-261-ROAD (7623) or 511 from a mobile phone.

Prosecutors Share Success in Work Zone Fatality Conviction

Posted on by admin_ici

Here are the minutes from the October Safety Joint Coop meeting, in which we were fortunate to have a representative from the Marion County Prosecutors office, Christina Gull, as well as from the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council, Chris Daniels, to share and address concerns that our members had regarding the prosecution or a lack there of by motorists who injure or kill workers in work zones. Our members were eager to learn why the prosecutors were so successful in the case where a motorist was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing two highway workers in 2014 but not in other obvious situations of negligence involving highway worker deaths. They also wanted to know what contractors can do to assist in the success going forward.

Ms. Gull, who actually worked on the 2014 case, praised ICI members for their cooperation and willingness to help educate the attorneys as well as the jury on the specifics of a work zone and what goes into designing, building and disassembling them. She shared that they could have in no way been successful without the help of our members.

Mr. Daniels enlightened members to the fact that these cases a very challenging to prosecute because of the way the laws are written. The law is written in a way where when trying to try a case involving a motorist killing a worker with a vehicle is no different than a case attempting to prosecute an individual who used a gun to kill a person. His office is working with the legislature to fix these problems.

One of the major takeaways from the presentation was that there is no automatic path or process to prosecuting these violators. Contractors and others concerned should feel free to alert the local prosecutor’s office to ensure that they are aware of incidences that could warrant prosecution. In most cases this awareness comes from the police department; however, when they don’t recognize the opportunity for prosecution, they will not move the case forward.

The ICI Safety Joint Coop forum meets bimonthly and is a great platform for our members and their safety directors to gather to share and keep abreast of the latest industry happenings as they relate to road construction safety. These gatherings regularly involve representatives from IDOL, ISP and INDOT. One of the main features of the Safety Joint Coop meeting is the open discussion session in which members get the opportunity hear details of injuries that have occurred in the industry and learn ways to avoid them in their own shops. The group thinking here is one of the worst things that we can experience as an industry is for the same injury to occur in one member’s shop that has already occurred in another’s shop, and there was no platform to learn from others mistakes.

Download calendar appointments for the meetings scheduled for:

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Safety Joint Cooperative 8/24 Meeting Wrap-Up

Posted on by admin_ici

On August 24, the ICI/INDOT/IOSHA/ISP Safety Joint Cooperative Forum looked into the member safety metrics as a group and compared our rates against the state and federal industry averages. This exercise allows members to share specific injury experiences and learn from each other to help avoid similar incidences.

We also briefed members on the findings of the Work Zone Safety Solutions Task Force findings and shared a priority list of recommendations to present to INDOT Commissioner Brandye Hendrickson and her staff at the next ICI Board of Directors meeting. During this presentation, we will place emphasis on blue lights, positive protection and full closures. The forum also suggested and discussed an action plan.

Mark Bentley, representing the Construction Family Assistance (CFA) Foundation, shared the opportunities CFA offers for construction workers to receive help if they suffer a serious work-related injury.

Region Meeting Wrap-Up

Posted on by Dan Osborn

ICI hosted its fall region joint cooperative committee meetings in August. These meetings provide an excellent opportunity for industry and INDOT to come to the table and discuss issues that affect the way we build Hoosier roads. In this round of meetings,  Jon Yadon (Reith-Riley Construction Co., Inc.) and Corey Baugh (Milestone Contractors, L.P.) accepted vice chair positions for the Northern and Southern Region Joint Cooperative Committees, respectively.

Work zone safety continues to be a key discussion topic, as well as excessive motorist speed in work zones. We also covered subcontractor approval, material testing expected turn-around durations, abandoned utilities and the undistributed patching pay item. Tom Dame (Hercules Machinery Corp.) presented “Pile Driving 101,” covering the basics of safety, equipment and operations information specific to pile driving. Committee members heard about recently adopted specification revisions (effective on contracts let after September 1) pertaining to sidewalk and ramp design and construction changes and storm water management. We asked committee members to comment on a Northern Region proposed revision to the Standard Specification section 101.02, Above-normal inclement weather days.

We’ll post meeting minutes when they’re available.

 

Ride for Your Life

Posted on by Andria Hine

Road Construction Awareness Corporation (RCAC) announces its 3rd Annual Road Construction Awareness Ride THIS Sunday, August 7. RCAC will use proceeds from registration and T-shirt sales to support programs to help motorists understand they need to slow down and pay attention to changing road conditions when they drive through work zones.

RCAC honors fallen workers, and will donate the proceeds from this year’s 50/50 raffle to the family of Certified Engineering’s Derek Knowling, who died on June 23 as a result of injuries related to a work zone crash.

Don’t ride a motorcycle? Join in the festivities and check out the custom bikes or follow the group in you own cool ride. Hot rods, classics and really neat cars and trucks are welcome to follow the bikes for a lap around I-465 with no motorists allowed in the group.

Work Zone Safety Tips

Posted on by admin_ici

Every day, highway, heavy and utility construction workers are exposed to traffic hazards as part of their daily work routine. Some of the hazards include moving construction vehicles, noise from motors and vehicles, limited visibility, night work and limited lighting, close proximity to traffic, inclement weather and slips, trips and falls.

Although work zone hazards vary, and there are no “one size fits all” procedures, here are a few tips to help workers protect themselves in work zones.

When working in traffic, be sure to wear the required personal protective equipment such as:

  • Reflective, high-visibility vests or clothing
  • Hard hats
  • Eye protection
  • Protective footwear

To help the motorist while protecting construction workers:

  • Have a traffic control plan, and periodically review it to see if it needs to be changed. Set the work zone to avoid unclear lane markings and lane confusion.
  • Use flaggers trained to use standard traffic control devices and signals. Be sure the flaggers are readily visible to traffic.
  • Observe traffic conditions to determine the volume condition of the work zone.
  • Avoid working in high traffic volume hours. Whenever possible, work during low traffic conditions.
  • Avoid standing or parking in places that block road signage.
  • Remove construction debris that can become a hazard for motorists as well as construction workers.
  • Remove worn, old, non-reflective traffic control devices from service.
  • Shield boom lifts and lift trucks from impact by oncoming motorists.
  • Use appropriate and sufficient lighting for night work areas.

Other tips to help keep the work zone safe include:

  • Avoid complacency on the job.
  • Get plenty of rest so that you’re alert while working.
  • Be sure all underground and overhead utilities are located and marked.
  • Minimize the amount of time employees need to be exposed to traffic. Get in; get done; and get out.
  • Limit the amount of personnel and equipment in the work zone to only those that are necessary for the job at hand.
  • Do not assume that equipment operators can see you. Make eye contact with the operator before crossing in front of or behind him.
  • Create out-of-bounds areas that are off limits to employees due to the traffic hazard.
  • Ensure that backup alarms on vehicles are functioning properly.
  • Do not run through moving traffic or machines.
  • Provide an emergency egress/escape route in case of emergency, and make sure employees know what it is.

Follow these tips, and do all you can to ensure your safety and the safety of your co-workers.

Download the recording form here.