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Working with traffic
signs and temporary traffic control devices on a daily basis, tends to make one
look around as one travels. As I drive down the road and around the country I
have to tell you about one of my pet peeves. Poorly maintained traffic control
and work zone products, drive me insane. I mean really how can inspectors,
municipalities and contractors accept such poorly maintained devises?
The word “safety” is
one of the most tossed around words in the construction vocabulary. Safety is
defined as the freedom from danger, protection from, or not being exposed to,
the risk of harm or injury. Where can this be more important than in areas
where road construction is occurring? These areas are called “Work Zones” and
they are established for many types of situations including roadway
maintenance, roadway construction, utility work, emergency scenes and incidents
and anything that will redirect traffic from its normal path or flow.
Now we know vehicles
are traveling at faster speeds all the time, which means less time for drivers to
react to changing conditions. Motorists are more distracted with cell phones,
GPS and all these other gadgets that we all have in our cars. So when there is
something to provide advance warning of work zones, possible changes to their
travel path and devices which provide continual efficient traffic flow,
shouldn’t they be visible? I mean have you seen some of these items. Signs that
can’t even be read, because they are so scratched, or worn, and forget if it is
dark. Construction drums and cones that are so dirty or the reflect stripes so
worn (if stripes are even present) that they are difficult to see during
daylight, let alone in the nighttime.
Most roadway
construction projects have inspectors. They should be inspecting the traffic
control products and stopping work until defective equipment is replaced or
repaired. I know. Who cares? A drum is a drum, a cone a cone. Really? There are
minimum standards for reflectivity which have been established for traffic
control devices, and traffic control signs, yet as I drive around I don’t see
them being enforced. Companies which rely on these devices to establish their
work zones should be proactive and make sure their devices are meeting the
criteria. If they are renting them, they should request certifications that the
products have been tested and maintained to remain in operation. Why care? Well
let’s go back to that word “safety”. Protection of our employees and team
members should be our number one priority. We are placing our people next to
vehicles traveling 40, 50 60 or more miles per hour as they pass through our
work zones. Sometimes those reflective drums and cones are the only things that
delineate the travel path from the work area. Shouldn’t they be as bright and as visible as
possible?
How about the advanced
warning signs as you approach a work zone? Can they be read easily, are they
dirty, do they have tar or oil on them, and are they reflective? They should be
in great condition as they are the only thing that warns motorist as they
approach our workers. Think about it. You just changed the normal path of
travel people may have been using to for years. The only thing to bring attention
to the changing conditions are these signs. If they don’t stand out from the
other surroundings along the travel path they will not know about your work
zone and your personnel. Here is a little known fact. Did you know that most
rollup and rigid traffic control sign sheeting only has a 3 year life
expectancy? I bet most companies don’t! Another point of contention with me is short
term signage should be taken down at the end of each day! We all want to get
mad at drivers when they come flying into our work zones, but if you leave the
signs up for days on end, even overnight, when you are not working, then how do
expect the traveling public to know if you are working or not? Remember the
advanced signage is designed to get the driver’s attention. It does not look different if you leave it up
for weeks on end, even when there is no work happening.
If you have a safety director, job supervisor
or you simply own this equipment you should be making sure that it is tested or
replaced on a regular basis. You should also be training your personnel on the
proper procedures for setup of a work zone. Your insurance company should be
requiring that you have maintenance records or regular testing records of this
equipment. Why? Well let’s face it, it is cheaper for the equipment to be
maintained and replaced, so it can protect the workers or the insured company than
to payout worker compensation or death benefit claims because drivers could not
see, follow or have advanced warning of your work zone. Honestly don’t you want
your employees to go home to their families after each shift?
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Isn’t it time for the
state department of transportation to put allowances for traffic control
devices or new traffic control devices into contracts as specific line items?
There are states that are progressive and require new or like new traffic
control devices to assist in adequate traffic flow and protection for workers.
But there are also states which allow “junk” to be used on their projects and
then wonder why people and workers are dying in their work zones. If nothing else please train the inspectors
and your state highway workers to spot deficient traffic control products, and
allow them to shut down work zones if they are not in compliance. There are
states that do this, so it can be done.
Insurance companies. We
need them to get on board with these standards and have them require testing,
maintenance records and replacement plans in order to remain insured. They are
the people that will be litigating and paying for our deficiencies, and then we
will all help pay by higher premiums, when our work is associated with road
work.
All I want is to do is
see where they want me to go!!!! Is that too much to ask?
David E. Gemmill
D. E. Gemmill, Inc.
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