March 24, 2015
By: Chelsea Haley, DKI Ventures, LLC
Remember – Safety First!
As spring nears and the sun starts creeping out, more workers head outside to complete construction projects. National Work Zone Awareness Week, running March 23-27, 2015, encourages safe construction practices for workers and safe driving for civilians in these work zones.
Did you know, over 20,000 workers are injured each year in construction work zones? These injuries are due to a number of causes – equipment failure, reduced visibility, distracted drivers, slips and falls and more.
Though, whatever the cause, it’s important to know the risks and be prepared with the correct safety guidelines to prevent these injuries.
- Train all your employees on the proper equipment and tools to use and how to use them.
- Consider holding weekly safety meetings to prepare for and expect the unexpected. Communicate any changes, and discuss potential problems and their proper responses for future action.
- Ensure every employee knows his surroundings (location, traffic conditions, potential hazards, etc.)
- Provide proper safety gear to wear on the job (eye protection, headgear, boots, etc.)
- Wear flashing lights or reflective tape on clothing and equipment
A driver is five times more likely to notice a worker at night and make any necessary lane or speed changes promptly if the worker is wearing reflective clothing than regular, or even orange-colored clothes.
- Create a traffic control plan to alert drivers with proper signage to warn them ahead of time if they need to slow down, stop or take an alternative route to their destination.
- Space road cones closely together to make sure drivers are aware of beginnings and endings of lane changes and to avoid cars from weaving in and out of unsafe roads.