Road Construction: Work Zone Safety
ROAD CONSTRUCTION WORK ZONE SAFETY
Civil engineering department
Introduction
A work zone is an area of a trafficway where construction, maintenance, or utility work activities are identified by warning signs/signals/indicators, including those on transport devices (e.g., signs, flashing lights, channelizing devices, barriers, pavement markings, flagmen, warning signs and arrow boards mounted on the vehicles in a mobile maintenance activity) that mark the beginning and end of a construction, maintenance or utility work activity.Roadway work zones are hazardous both for motorists who drive through the complex array of signs, barrels, and lane changes and for workers who build, repair, and maintain our Nation’s streets, bridges, and highways. Consequently, construction projects and road work like this produces physical obstacles and other such hazards for drivers, increasing the risk of an accident.
Accident Liability and Construction Crews
If an accident occurs because of improper warnings, contradicting signs or signals, poorly lit construction zones, or other such negligence, the government jurisdiction responsible for the roadway construction could be held liable. This is because construction crews have a responsibility to properly warn drivers of impending traffic changes to help keep traffic flowing as smoothly as possible.
Still, while construction crews are required to utilize proper signage, reflective barricades, flashing lights, and other warnings to alert drivers, sometimes it is not enough to prevent accidents.
When construction occurs on two-lane and multi-lane secondary and primary routes, a traffic control zone is to be erected. The traffic control zone consists of the area between the first advance warning sign and the point beyond the work space where traffic is no longer affected.
A typical road construction traffic control zone
Civil engineering department
Introduction
A work zone is an area of a trafficway where construction, maintenance, or utility work activities are identified by warning signs/signals/indicators, including those on transport devices (e.g., signs, flashing lights, channelizing devices, barriers, pavement markings, flagmen, warning signs and arrow boards mounted on the vehicles in a mobile maintenance activity) that mark the beginning and end of a construction, maintenance or utility work activity.Roadway work zones are hazardous both for motorists who drive through the complex array of signs, barrels, and lane changes and for workers who build, repair, and maintain our Nation’s streets, bridges, and highways. Consequently, construction projects and road work like this produces physical obstacles and other such hazards for drivers, increasing the risk of an accident.
Accident Liability and Construction Crews
If an accident occurs because of improper warnings, contradicting signs or signals, poorly lit construction zones, or other such negligence, the government jurisdiction responsible for the roadway construction could be held liable. This is because construction crews have a responsibility to properly warn drivers of impending traffic changes to help keep traffic flowing as smoothly as possible.
Still, while construction crews are required to utilize proper signage, reflective barricades, flashing lights, and other warnings to alert drivers, sometimes it is not enough to prevent accidents.
When construction occurs on two-lane and multi-lane secondary and primary routes, a traffic control zone is to be erected. The traffic control zone consists of the area between the first advance warning sign and the point beyond the work space where traffic is no longer affected.
A typical road construction traffic control zone
Bibliography: www.google.com/ www.wikipidea.com/ www.roadhazard.com/