Highway Construction Safety

 

Highway construction means working side by side with 3,000 pounds of metal speeding along two to three feet from you eight hours a day! Consequently, 86 workers died in 1999 from highway, street, bridge, and tunnel construction according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

What are the hazards?

Traffic is not the only concern. Almost as many workers are killed by heavy equipment. Also, a number of fatalities occur when heavy equipment rolls over. Remaining hazards involve heavy lifting, falling hazards (i.e., bridge sites), overhead power lines, underground electrical lines, ungrounded electrical equipment, poorly maintained tools and jacks, unguarded moving parts, excavation cave-ins, vibrating tools, carbon monoxide from vehicle exhaust, asphalt fumes, extreme heat/cold, rain and fog, and darkness at night.

How can you protect yourself?

While there are many hazards, there are also many ways to protect yourself:

·         Wear highly visible clothing and a light-colored hard hat. During the day, you must wear a vest, shirt, or jacket that is orange, yellow, yellow-green, or a fluorescent version of these colors. At night, the vest, shirt, or jacket must be retroreflective.

·         Work where drivers can see you, but as far as possible from traffic. Drivers may not be able to see you when the sun is low in the sky or when it is rainy, foggy, or dark.

·         Get in and out of traffic spaces and heavy equipment areas quickly and safely.

·         Stay alert and don't wear a radio headset.

·         Do not operate equipment or a vehicle unless you are trained and authorized.

·         Always wear your seat belt when operating equipment or vehicles.

·         Make visual contact with workers on foot near you before moving equipment.

·         Make sure equipment is inspected and corrected daily.

·         Use equipment with rollover protective structures.

·         Chock two wheels when leaving equipment.

·         If you must park your vehicle near traffic, park where drivers can see you (don't park around blind corners).

·         If working on pile driving, know the special hazards of this work.

·         If working on trenching and/or shoring associated with a work zone, be sure all excavations are being properly shored and be aware of cave-in hazards.

·         If working on a bridge over another roadway or over water, use appropriate fall protection. 

This information is provided by Assurance Agency https:www.assuranceagency.com