Mincing words
Roads & Bridges
July 2008
By Bill Wilson
Not enough is said or done about aerial lift safety
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Separation is a positive
Roads & Bridges
September 2007
By Allen Zeyher
Good planning can prevent run-over accidents; technology can help too
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Thwarting a threat
Roads & Bridges
November 2005
By Bill Willson
For two hours the Maryland Transportation Authority shut the I-95 Baltimore Harbor Tunnel and reduced traffic down to one lane at the Fort McHenry Tunnel as officials acted on a threat.
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Flashing lights and neon vests
Roads & Bridges
January 2005
New research, technology has the work-zone safety industry moving forward. The main area of concentration is increasing the visibility of work zones for motorists.
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Trail takes the lead
Roads & Bridges
January 2005
Dwight Carter, P.E., and Mike Bishop, P.E., Contributing Authors
Growing transport traffic added to the effect of morning and afternoon drive times as commuters from the bedroom communities south of Calgary swelled traffic volumes.
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New Catch Phrases
Roads & Bridges
January 2005
Robert Apel, Contributing Author
OSHA reports an annual average of 362 fatalities from 1995 to 1999 due to falls, a trend that appears to be continuing. Fall protection language changes to protect the worker.
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Treading water
Roads & Bridges
October 2004
Imad L. Al Qadi, Contributing Author
Proper friction measurements are needed to keep pavement free of ice during the winter season. Currently, the road surface conditions and safety are assessed visually, which is a subjective measure.
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Protection is Calling
Roads & Bridges
September 2004
Joe Walker, Contributing Author
A look at safety precautions on the massive Woodrow Wilson Bridge project. Hardhats, safety glasses and high-visibility safety apparel are mandatory for PCC personnel when working around moving vehicles on the $2.6 billion project.
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Smart law prevents clean getaway
Roads & Bridges
August 2004
Bill Wilson
To help reduce the constant flow of accidents, the Maryland Department of Transportation wants to widen the two-lane highway. But the move interferes with a smart growth law.
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Special Attention
Roads & Bridges
July 2004
By Gene Hawkins, Contributing Author
Choosing the right pavement markings can serve as a wake-up call for motorists. Consider that run-off-road (ROR) crashes account for almost one-third of the deaths and serious injuries each year on the nation’s highways.
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Drive on a Diet
Roads & Bridges
July 2004
By Jennifer A. Rosales, P.E., Contributing Author
A road diet entails converting a four-lane undivided roadway to a two-lane roadway plus a two-way left-turn lane.
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Cones come marching in
Roads & Bridges
June 2004
Bill Wilson
The computerized cone platoon and the other devices give the drunk, distracted and disorderly zero chance at taking a life.
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Loosening the belt
Roads & Bridges
April 2004
Gary Groat, Contributing Author
For close to three decades, the roadway has not kept up with prescribed standards to alleviate safety and operational concerns. The proposed HOT lanes will in most cases bring the roadway up to present highway standards.
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Paint Winner
Roads & Bridges
March 2004
Greg Shay, Contributing Author
The total money spent on pavement markings in the U.S. and Canada exceeded $1.5 billion on nearly 4 million center-line highway miles. Let’s examine where the traffic marking industry has been with previous generations of waterborne markings versus other traffic-marking materials.
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Bucking a trend?
Roads & Bridges
March 2004
By Brad Sant
The trends for roadway construction safety are worrisome. A review of total highway construction from 1997 to 2003 shows an impressive 37.1% growth in spending. In these sites, fatalities grew by a whopping 70.4%, with 1,181 fatalities in 2002.
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What are your measurements?
Roads & Bridges
February 2004
Richard Austin
The science of electronically measuring retroreflective pavement markings is still in its early days, but quickly evolving. Contractors stand to benefit if they can provide hard data that shows their markings continue to meet specified retroreflectance values.
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Fresh to the core
Roads & Bridges
January 2004
Roger Wentz
“Safer Roads Save Lives” is the message that
American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) staff and volunteers are
taking to Capitol Hill in support of the creation of a core roadway safety
program as a key element of TEA-21 reauthorization. And the Senate, House of
Representatives and White House are all listening.
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Quality of life
Roads & Bridges
January 2004
Roger Wentz
The American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) partners with National Partnership for Highway Quality (NPHQ) because it has a powerful stake in the results delivered by quality-driven highway projects. It's gratifying to see efforts under way across the nation to raise the bar on roadway construction and traffic safety. But there's still a great deal of road work ahead.
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A walking example
Roads & Bridges
January 2004
Bill Wilson
Wilton Watson couldn’t feel his smokeless chewing tobacco. After flying 35 ft into a highway ditch the lone missing sensation was a blessing. It could have been worse—a lot worse. But instead of dwelling on rage, Watson has fired up a safety crusade.
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Watch your back
Roads & Bridges
September 2003
Intec Video Systems
Work-zone safety efforts usually concentrate on keeping workers and traffic separate. Traffic control, signage and barriers are integral parts of every roadway construction project. Yet while highway construction workers are exposed to significant risks on the jobsite, motorist traffic is only half the problem.
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Step away from the machine
Roads & Bridges
September 2003
Lars Lindgren
Removing the operator from the equation lowers the risk of injury from operating tools and equipment in dangerous construction zones.
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Grab the face mask
Roads & Bridges
July 2003
Joe Walker, Contributing Author
Respiratory protection is every bit as important for workers in heavy construction. After engineering controls have removed respiratory hazards where possible, two key steps are required to ensure that your workers' respiratory systems are protected.
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Readiness to the Rescue
Roads & Bridges
July 2003
Emmett McGregor, Contributing Author
There is a real need for a rescue plan any time a worker is exposed to the risk of a fall. The equipment and gear must be used in the right manner. Harnesses, lanyards, lifelines and all the associated components of a fall arrest system need to be properly worn and correctly attached in order to effectively save a life, as they're designed to do. That said, there might still be times when a worker experiences a fall. What happens then?
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Shortening time, not lives
Roads & Bridges
July 2003
David Henderson, P.E., Contributing Author
The I-385 Improvements Project is widening 5.8 miles of interstate between I-85 and downtown Greenville, S.C.
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One more plan will not hurt
Roads & Bridges
July 2003
Brad Sant, Contributing Author
The good news is most causes of injuries and fatalities can be reduced and perhaps eliminated with just a little more planning. And the news gets even better. The additional planning will actually save time and money.
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Feeling stressed
Roads & Bridges
July 2003
Cynthia Mahlstedt
Mother Nature can be unforgiving and potentially deadly, especially as we enter the dog days of summer. Preventing, recognizing and treating heat stress is more important than ever.
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Proper lighting
Roads & Bridges
June 2003
Steve Spata
The National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) recently published an updated U.S. Federal Lighting Chart that provides the commercial truck and transportation equipment industry with information for determining compliance with the lighting requirements in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 108. Lamps and reflectors are now shown as separate items. The standard did not change, but the NTEA has found that users of the chart were only looking at the illustrations and not reading the tables, notes or standard.
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Reaching out to peers
Roads & Bridges
May 2003
The need for assistance in using the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), as well as in answering other questions related to traffic control devices, has led the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to establish a Peer-to-Peer program on Traffic Control Devices (P2P TCD). Recognizing that jurisdictions may face budget and personnel constraints as they address issues regarding traffic control devices, FHWA is providing this service at no charge to state and local agencies.
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Spanish-speaking safety
Roads & Bridges
April 2003
Brad Sant
More than 270 Hispanic construction workers were killed on the job in 2000. Industry professionals believe that Hispanic workers are not receiving the necessary safety and health training for their jobs; and in many circumstances where training is provided, they do not fully understand what is being taught.
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The Wyoming post
Roads & Bridges
July 2002
When miles and miles of open highway take on wind, snow, brutal cold, reduced visibility and many other potentially dangerous elements that Mother Nature has to offer—and travel conditions become hazardous—a heavy-duty delineator is a necessity. RubberTough posts from Safe-Hit Corp., a subsidiary of Quixote Transportation Safety Inc., Chicago, is turning out to be the answer to what had been a nagging, labor-intensive and expensive problem.
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Control issues
Roads & Bridges
July 2002
Ernest Huckaby, Linda L. Brown, Charles Sears, Cherie Kittle, Scott Wainwright, Debra Chapell
For workers in the transportation construction industry, going to work every day invites the potential for harm to themselves and others. In the year 2000, over 1,000 people lost their lives to traffic accidents in work zones. This article will discuss the most recent version of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), focusing on traffic control in work zones and the differences between this version and the previous one, published in 1988.
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Everybody gets hurt
Roads & Bridges
July 2002
Daniel K. Shipp
Failure to provide workers with the right personal protective equipment (PPE) and make sure they wear it is a mistake that gambles with employees’ safety and health, with the bottom line and potentially with a company’s future.
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A big bowl of concerns
Roads & Bridges
July 2002
Alfonso Montella, Ph.D., P.E.; Giacomo Ciotola, P.E.
Roadwork sites increase accident rates and the severity of those accidents. Reducing this problem requires an integrated and systematic approach aimed at identifying and solving the safety problems of the work zone. An effective approach, which is quickly spreading at the international level, is the work-zone safety audit in both urban and rural areas.
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Let them hear what’s in store
Roads & Bridges
July 2002
Bill Wilson
A proposal by the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials (AASHTO) would require states to reveal long-term traffic safety plans and what it would cost to execute them. By being more vocal, officials in Washington are hoping more can be learned.
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No. 1 on the active list
Roads & Bridges
July 2002
Roger Wentz
American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA)'s partnerships help accomplish our common goal—to help make our nation’s roadways safer for all motorists by reducing the number of injuries and fatalities on roadways and in work zones.
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New for work zones this year
Roads & Bridges
April 2002
Exhibitors at Traffic Expo 2002, held Feb. 10-12 in Dallas,received free commercial time during the new product press conference. The following is a complete summary of items aimed at improving work zones across the country.
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Passing inspections
Roads & Bridges
July 2001
James E. Bryden, P.E. and Laurel B. Andrew, P.E.
NYSDOT drives through work zones with pen in hand
PDF Version
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Taking traffic safety to the next level
Roads & Bridges
July 2000
Bill Wilson
The Trinity Attenuating Crash Cushion (TRACC) is the newest addition to Trinity Industries Inc.’s Life-Saving Highway Safety Systems. This crash cushion is easy to install and inspect in the field.
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What's flashing before your eyes?
Roads & Bridges
July 2000
Gerald L. Ullman, P.E.
Nationwide, special flashing warning lights on construction, maintenance and service vehicle equipment are generally limited to the color amber. However, for the past few years, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has begun allowing certain types of vehicles to display both an amber- and a blue-flashing warning light.
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Safety first, keeping pace second
Roads & Bridges
July 1999
In an effort to meet the demands of an industry which is constantly changing, the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) finds itself on-the-move heading into the new century. In an interview with ROADS & BRIDGES, ATSSA executive director Roger Wentz talks about ground covered over the past 1 1/2 years and the road that lies ahead in the coming years.
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An eye on older drivers
Roads & Bridges
July 1999
Sybil Hatch
The needs of the aging baby-boom population are the focus of the U.S. highway safety community as it prepares for the birth of a new century.
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Safety through design
Roads & Bridges
July 1999
Kathleen Carsey and Douglas Brand
It has been said that impact attenuators save more lives than seat belts, but it’s up to the traffic engineer to make sure they are used effectively.
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Reflecting back
Roads & Bridges
July 1999
David McKee
FHWA develops minimum requirements for retroreflectivity
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Maintaining Asphalt Plant Safety - Part II
Roads & Bridges
February 1999
Cliff Mansfield
The final installment of ROADS & BRIDGES’ series on plant safety addresses potential hazards and the consequences of taking them lightly.
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Asphalt Plant Safety - Part I
Roads & Bridges
January 1999
Cliff Mansfield
Case studies reveal that common sense and a rigid safety program are important factors in avoiding deadly plant-site accidents. This is Part I of a two-part series on plant safety. Part II will appear in February.
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A strategic plan for roadway safety
Roads & Bridges
July 1998
Roger Wentz
A new strategic plan by ATSSA will carry the association into the 21st century and bring a new focus to the association's efforts to support our members in making the nation's roadways safer for the traveling public.
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Onus for roadway safety set squarely on shoulders of states
Roads & Bridges
July 1998
Robert Dingess
New transportation bill's flexibility provisions and states' search for matching funds may leave safety increases on sidelines, but increased funding, new requirements bode well for business sector.
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Traffic safety: It's a way of living
Roads & Bridges
January 1998
David Banasiak
ATSSA's annual Traffic Expo '98 meets in Long Beach, Calif., to provide attendees with educational and networking opportunities in the traffic safety arena.
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Flagger Respect Begins with Training
Roads & Bridges
July 1997
Mike Ireland
ATSSA unveils new beneficial program to train flaggers; train-the-trainer approach most efficient, affordable teaching method; opportunity exists for independent trainers.
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LED technology lights the work-zone
Roads & Bridges
July 1996
David L. Evans
Improved light emitting diodes challenge incandescent lamps as the light source of choice for work-zone safety devices.
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