By: Carmine Cimetti
Fatalities that are tied to work zones are edging up nationally, prompting policymakers and construction industry employers alike to act, not just to promote awareness of the risks but to institute improved controls to abate them.
The data paints a worrisome picture: In 2020,work zone fatalities hit a 16-year high, with over 850 deaths and 45,000 injuries recorded. That includes more than 100 road construction workers who died in work zone accidents.
Some states have a better safety record than most, and Massachusetts is among them. Its work zone fatality rate of 5.87 deaths per million licensed drivers (based on 2015-2020 data) puts it near the top of safest states.
But the drive for safer work zone environments is a shared responsibility because it isn’t only workers at risk of such hazards as traffic and heavy machinery, but drivers, pedestrians and even bicyclists are exposed when work requires narrowed lanes, uneven roads and changed traffic patterns.
There are a variety of fixes. One, for example, is to create enforcement zones that use a series of point-to-point cameras to monitor speeds and alert drivers of their average speeds through the work zone. It effectively slows traffic over a longer distance.
Some countries integrate their cameras into a single national system, and it works. After installation on a stretch of freeway in Scotland, the speed limit is adhered to by 99% of drivers, versus only 40% before.
The most effective solution, however, is for firms to be aware of the environment and potential concerns in preparing for projects involving work zones. And, of course, those factors all must be taken into account as they develop a traffic control plan (TCP) to reduce the risk.
Factors influencing a TCP
The backdrop for a traffic control plan that adequately addresses safety should consider various factors:
- Environment is a big concern: is the work zone in a city or on a rural road? That changes the nature of the safety risk, whether routing pedestrians safety around the work or anticipating the unexpected – such as animals running through the zone at night and causing accidents.
- The type of work also creates its own exposure – such as flagging, installing signs, paving or surveying. Each has to be evaluated, with controls put in place before work starts.
- Characteristics of a roadway or work zone can have an impact – whether lane closures, changes in road markings or uneven road surfaces. It’s important to train workers on the risks as well as install signage to alert drivers to avert accidents.
- Traffic volume also affects work zone safety. Distractions to drivers and workers span speed differential, lights and construction equipment, and make the case for traffic control plans that consider the flow of construction and vehicles.
- Traffic control systems such as point-to-point cameras are critical to work zone safety, and carefully planned to mitigate risk for each construction work zone.
The importance of TCPs
Each work zone project should have a TCP to improve safety for workers, pedestrians and motorists. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts lays out a comprehensive process for anticipating and mitigating their impacts. It is required for all private development and permit projects for roadways and bridges.
Each work zone must have its own plan for safety, covering several categories that include:
- Compliance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) when setting up traffic signs, road surface markings, and signals. In the United States, all traffic control devices must legally conform to these standards.
- A construction management outline. This entails a traffic management plan early in the design phase that establishes impacts of the zone on workers, drivers and pedestrians.
- A temporary traffic control plan, which establishes how traffic will be controlled by signs or traffic control devices during the projects.
- A public information plan is necessary for broadcasting, on websites or through signage, upcoming projects that may impact traffic and travel routes.
- Employee Personal Protective equipment requirements – specifically the use of high visibility equipment and proper pants/vests.
- Requirements for the immediate removal of construction debris that can become a hazard for employees and motorists.
- ITS monitoring plan may be required, depending on traffic volume, project complexity and its duration.
Being aware of the issues and abiding by the controls will go a long way toward maintaining good progress on what can be complicated and high-profile work zones – and keeping workers and the public at large safe in the process.
About the author
Carmine Cimetti is Vice President in the construction specialty group at insurance brokerage Hub International New England. He has over 25 years of experience in construction risk management, operations, planning and project management.
His collaborative approach to construction and risk management has been associated with some of the largest nationally recognized projects in the heavy infrastructure, building, transportation, education and healthcare/life sciences sectors. He presently holds a CSP (Certified Safety Professional), CRIS (Construction Risk Insurance Specialist) and is an OSHA 500 Certified Construction Outreach Instructor. Carmine has a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from Wentworth Institute of Technology, in addition to an Associate of Science in Building Construction.