Whether it is covering up a pothole or expanding a lane, there is much work to be done on the various roads that crisscross the country. If you’re one of those people charged with doing repairs and upgrading the road network, you know that it can get pretty dangerous. To ensure that you and your employees are safe, here are a few tips:
Have a Traffic Management Plan
In any construction work, you should have a plan for what you will be doing. But what is essential is a traffic management plan. One of the greatest threats to safety while doing roadwork is the amount of traffic passing by. You need to have an idea on how to keep cars, trucks, and other vehicles from getting too close to your work zone.
Control the Traffic
With a plan in place, you are going to have to implement it. Controlling traffic usually involves putting up signs and redirecting the flow of it around your construction site. There will also be warnings for drivers to slow down so that they won’t accidentally hit any of your people around the construction site. There are many road construction signs for sale, and it should be easy enough to get some for your workplace.
Signs are just one part of it, though. Warnings are pretty passive and don’t react well to situations. This is why you will want to assign a traffic controller to observe and redirect traffic as needed.
Give Your Team Protective Gear
Like any construction site, you will want your people to be wearing the right gear for the job. This includes protective gear like helmets, gloves, and even breathing masks. They should also be wearing solid boots that have good traction so that they don’t slip and fall while working. If the noise levels at the worksite are going to be high, they should also wear some hearing protection.
The most important is to wear bright, visible clothing. This ensures that drivers will notice them and be aware of their presence. A vest or jacket in orange or lime should be enough to catch their attention.
Be Careful with Your Vehicles
Roadwork will also require your own vehicles on the site. Usually, heavy machinery, accidents with these vehicles can be hazardous. This is why you should only have trained operators working on them while ensuring that they are in good condition. Navigating them around the construction site should also be done carefully so that disruptions would be avoided.
Have a Daily Safety Meeting
People can be forgetful, so you need to remind them regularly about safety regulations and rules. This is why you will want to schedule a daily safety meeting. This helps ensure that your workers don’t forget the safety rules and for any new safety rules to be quickly spread.
It can be dangerous to work on a road, with the usual construction dangers combined with the threat of passing cars. However, with the tips above, you should be able to work with no problems. Now your people can do their jobs in full confidence that they will be safe in doing so.
