Work-Zone Safety Equipment
A study conducted by researchers at the Department of Health at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell has concluded that dangerous levels of respirable silica are difficult to control during chipping and crushing activities even when dust control measures are in place. The study cites risk for...
RoadQuake TPRS deployed in work zones reduce crashes and save lives
On February 8, 2017, KTVN TV reported a fatal work-zone crash:
“…a 2006 black Freightliner semi was traveling southbound where it was approaching traffic being halted by a flagger in a construction zone. [Nevada Highway Patrol] says a 2000 red Ford F-150, 2015 white Toyota 4Runner, and 2007 beige...
Beginning this year, work zones in the state of Virginia will have rumble strips, a safety tool that will be used to capture the attention of drivers as well as alert workers to cars entering a work zone, according to officials with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
VDOT officials...
In a new study funded by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, researchers at the University of Minnesota investigated the potential advantages and possible disadvantages of vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) in-vehicle messages to communicate to drivers traveling in work zones.
The...
Flagging operations are a critical part of construction and maintenance activities on our highways.
Flagging personnel are trained to effectively and safely communicate the location of construction or maintenance activities to the traveling public. Due to the nature of the work, flagging...
The rumble strips were set out in a dual three-strip array.
Last October, Shelly & Sands, a prime highway contractor, installed RoadQuake 2F Temporary Portable Rumble Strip (TPRS) arrays in two Ohio work zones. The installation, conducted in partnership with Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Ohio Contractors Association (OCA), tested the...
Roadway construction already is a dangerous working environment with over 700 fatalities annually in work zones alone. With connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) beginning to launch on our roadways, workers and motorists will have even more dangers facing them each day. Because the majority of...
To improve both work-zone and worker safety, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission tested temporary portable rumble strips (TPRS, or rumble strips) in September and October of 2015.
The goal was to test the effectiveness of TPRS in short-term work zones. Specifically, to determine if TPRS would “…...
BoardWalk Ramp installed at County Courthouse, March 15, 2016 (with dimensions added).
Cleveland, Ohio, the county seat of Cuyahoga County, has made some news recently. The Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Championship, and the parade that followed, attended by about 1.3 million people, also made national news.
Since the Cavs won, the city’s equally beloved baseball team, the...
Deployment and removal is easier, faster, safer with CRIB Cargo Carrier.
Distracted driving crashes are a prime factor in traffic fatalities and injuries. The National Highway Transportation Safety Association (NHTSA) reports that 3,179 people were killed and 431,100 injured on U.S. roadways in 2014 because of distracted driving. Those figures are comparable to the two...
Article
June 09, 2015
Nighttime work zones along roadways can be challenging environments for workers and drivers alike. Setting up and taking down the trailer-mounted light towers used by many construction workers is time-consuming and tedious. Aiming the lights on these towers to maximize visibility while preventing...
Article
June 09, 2015
Closely spaced driveways in a Florida work zone.
Identifying business driveways in a roadway construction zone can be difficult, particularly at night.
Darkness can mask visual cues that are available to help drivers during the daytime. In addition, the driveway drums are the same as all the...
Article
June 09, 2015
Longitudinal pavement markings include edge lines, centerlines and lane lines on multilane roadways. While pavement markings have been in use for more than 100 years now and their inherent value generally goes unchallenged, there are still key unknowns when trying to quantify the benefits of...
Article
June 09, 2015
Mobile work zones are used for many road-maintenance operations such as roadway striping, sweeping and minor pothole repair.
The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) includes some guidance for the layout of mobile work zones. A typical layout involves the use of shadow vehicles,...
Article
January 01, 2005
Out with the old, in with the new,” is a cliché that gets plenty of mileage this time of year, but often with good reason. Businesses, like people, tend to reassess priorities and revise game plans as a new year begins.
With workplace safety such an absolute priority in the construction...
Article
January 01, 2005
The No. 1 state in the nation in terms of the number of fatalities and injuries in highway construction work zones is Texas. According to the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), the high numbers are because of several reasons, including:
A longer construction season;
An increase in construction...
Article
June 16, 2004
Computers and robots may indeed rule the Earth one day. For now, however, it’s all about obeying commands and paying the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefield.
Shane Farritor, a roboticist at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, may have already earned the purple heart in work-zone safety. He...
Article
March 16, 2004
With a presidential election coming this fall and a massive six-year surface transportation bill moving through Congress, Washington, D.C., is humming with activity. There is good news for the industry. Both House and Senate transportation bills would significantly boost federal transportation...
Article
January 16, 2004
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.
On Nov. 13, 2002, Watson, then a superintendent for D.I.J.
Construction Inc., and his crew of six were in the...
Article
January 16, 2004
Unflinching attention to safety and sure-handed traffic control
plans: these were two quality principles that landed the New Jersey Department
of Transportation, designer Parsons-Brinckerhoff and J.H. Reid General
Contractor the highest honor bestowed by the National Partnership for Highway
Quality...
