When and Where will
the Enforcement Apply!?
Recently
I spoke about the new “Publication 213 - Temporary Traffic Control Guidelines”
that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation released in Spring of this
year. I applaud them for the excellent job that they did putting this
information together. It is easy to understand and the diagrams provide
excellent details for field personnel to use during the set up process.
Fantastic!!
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Every program has multiple steps required
to reach the goals and objectives of the program. I assume that the end goal of
this new manual is to keep both construction personnel and the traveling public
safe when approaching, moving through, exiting and performing work within that
work zone.
“Step
One” complete! My question has anyone thought about the remaining steps?
Hello! There are more steps, Right?
Well if
you read the manual there is a great deal of information contained within the
three hundred plus pages. And might I say, the information is vital to anyone,
who wants to be knowledgeable when discussing, planning or applying temporary
traffic control for even the most minute work zone.
Ok, but
here is where I jump up on my soap box and bring up some valid points that I can only hope have been considered.
Where
is Step Two! I was fortunate to be attending a meeting in March 2014 when the
new manual was discussed. Unfortunately I only found out about the new manual a
week before it was distributed and a few weeks before it went into effect.
Thank goodness I went to that meeting. As for everyone else who was not present
at the meeting, well I guess all I can say is GOOD LUCK!
My
theory is apparently someone missed step two, perhaps it was Penn DOT or maybe
an agency they hired to rollout the new manual. You are probably wondering what
I am talking about. Well you and everyone else. In conversations I have brought
up the new manual to general contractors, project managers, construction
superintendents, flagging companies and many others in the construction
business, and you know what, they look at me like I have three heads. Or I get
“What are you talking about?”. No one knows about the new publication. Holy
smokes! My understanding is we are to be implementing the information in the new
publication.
Now, I
do not consider myself to be a genius, and most of the time not even a smart
person. But if you want people to use a new and improved manual, particularly
for their own and improved safety, shouldn’t you, well, TELL EVERYONE!!!!!! We
are living in the information age, how about emailing everyone registered with
Penn DOT and the Turnpike Commission from contractors to engineers to
inspectors. I even spoke with an inspector recently that was unaware of the new
publication, aren’t they one of the people who will enforce the new rules.
I look
around and see all types of items, discussed in the manual, that do not meet
the current standards or are no longer compliant because the devices are in
such poor condition. Yet they can be found from private work being performed
within the state’s right of way to state funded highway projects and they go
ignored.
Step
three should be education and information. Penn DOT has included training which
will certify Traffic Control Mangers and will implement their requirement on
each project over the next few years. I believe they are trying to provide a
time frame that is reasonable to get everyone compliant with the Traffic
Control Manager portion of their manual. But one person is not enough. We need to educate everyone operating within
that work zone about the proper technics and aspects of a proper work zone
setup. We also need to educate the driving public about what we do, why we do
it, and how it helps protect them as well. This is really something that should
have been instituted a long time ago. Might I even suggest, that any state
funded projects require every person working on that project to be provided a
minimum of one hour of documented training per year relating to the various
components of a work zone? And Hey Penn DOT how about allotting a line item
that will be paid to each contractor and subcontractor for this training time
for each employee trained on state funded projects. Safety and understanding a
work zone is not something we should take for granted.
Which brings me to step four. Enforcement!
Penn DOT has to quit ignoring the offenders, the non-compliant devises and the
temporary work zone signs that are not removed when work is not being
performed. I have driven through a temporary work zone for over four weeks at
various times of the day and night and the signs are always present. ARE YOU
KIDDING ME? The rules state that temporary signage is to be removed when work
is not being performed. Who is liable if a motorist strikes a worker or a piece
of equipment, or goes speeding through the work zone? It should be the project
manager or the superintendent! Why, because they do not remove the signs at the
end of the work shift. How is the driver to know when you are working if the
temporary signage is up 24 /7? If it is a long term project then PUT UP THE
CORRECT LONG TERM SIGNAGE!!! And hey Penn DOT you have people that drive
through this same site every day. ENFORCE
YOUR RULES!
Nothing in this manual will work if
step four is not addressed. If there is no enforcement, and I mean true
enforcement, you know like, if you are not compliant, they shut you down and
you get off the road until you can provide the correct and compliant devices,
trained staff and equipment to perform the work safely according to the
requirements of the publication. This needs to be enforced from large road
construction projects, utility companies, maintenance contractors and contractors’
workers on private projects within the state right of way. And do not forget
about the local municipalities. If you do not force them to buy in, the program
will not be uniformed. We all know if the manual and rules are not enforced for
everyone uniformly, then the manual will become nothing more than a door stop.
Local municipalities can be forced to buy in by simply tying the compliance to
them receiving their Liquid Fuels Monies.
Find a way to make sure compliance is followed by everyone working on
our roadways!
I am not sure how many steps are intended for this
program, but I hope there are enough to reach the top of where we are going. If
we are only going to reach the first landing, then this will be nothing more
than another failed government program and that would be a shame for everyone
involved. Mothers, Fathers, Sons, Daughters, Family and Friends. They all
travel or labor in temporary traffic control work zones and shouldn’t the
ultimate step be to get everyone home safely.
I believe
we are in a new era and Penn DOT is
moving forward, let’s work together to make sure that this bus doesn’t stop, we are all getting on board and the
next stop can be the top of the mountain, BUT ONLY IF THE RULES ARE ENFORCED.
Dave E. Gemmill
www.degemmill.com
ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/PubsForms/Publications/PUB%20213.pdf
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