Security in construction work areas is essential to keep all safe—workers, vehicles, and the public. However, security breaches happen all too often, leading to injury, mortality, job delays and additional spending. The good news? By developing a solid traffic control strategy, you can reduce these incidents and protect your bottom line.
What are the most common workplace security breaches and how to avoid them, according to this list.
1. Improper Traffic Control Steps
The Violation: Insufficient customers control is the most frequent health blunder in construction sites. Missing or ill placed banners, cones or barriers may deceive motorists, significantly raising the risk of incidents with workers and products. Without clear instructions, both individuals and workers are in danger, so it is crucial to properly marking lane closures and diversions.
Prevention Tip: Always create a traffic control strategy that is compliant with local laws and the guidelines from the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices ( MUTCD ). Place symptoms well ahead of the work area so that individuals have time to react and can use dart boards or other visual cues to guide visitors carefully through the region. As the project develops, ensure that trained personnel is in charge of adding, maintaining, and updating customers control products. Frequently inspect the work area to ensure that all actions are powerful, correctly placed, and clearly visible to drivers, employees, and pedestrians.
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2. Absence of Visible Apparel
The Violation: If employees are not wearing high-visibility clothes, the chances of being struck by a car or piece of equipment increase tremendously. It’s a no-brainer: giving them the right products is one of the simplest, yet most important, ways to keep people healthy on the job.
Prevention Advice: At both day and night work, employees should always be wearing high-visibility vests, jackets, or other authorized equipment that complies with safety standards. The start of each move is a great time to check during the Pre-Job Safety Briefing that one’s equipment is up to standard, ensuring maximum security and discernibility.
3. Failure to Maintain Safe Distances
The Violation: In construction work areas, where maintaining a healthy buffer zone can result in catastrophic accidents, workers are frequently exposed to live traffic.
Prevention Tip: To keep employees healthy, set up cushion areas and barriers to separate them from transportation, as recommended by the MUTCD. Use concrete barriers, cones or crash attenuators for protection, and assign a trained flagger ( also known as a” Protector” ) to control traffic movement through the area.
All traffic control personnel should be certified in various essential programs including ATSSA Flagger Training, OSHA-required safety training, drug-free workplace training, defensive driver training, and state-specific temporary traffic control training.AWP Safety
4. Fall Hazards
The Violation: Fall protection is frequently overlooked in elevated work areas, where workers are exposed to open scaffolding, unprotected edges, or open platforms, which pose a high risk of serious injury.
Prevention Tip: Guardrails, safety nets, and personal fall arrest systems should be used to prevent falls and protect workers at height. Give workers clear, hands-on training so they know how to use the equipment properly. Make it a habit to regularly check it to make sure everything is set up correctly and in good shape.
Light towers provide a simple solution for temporary LED lighting, covering large areas and built to handle extreme temperatures, whether it’s intense heat or bitter cold.AWP Safety
5. Inadequate Lighting
The Violation: Poor nighttime lighting in construction sites increases the risk of accidents, making proper illumination necessary to ensure safety for everyone.
Position trailered light towers in the right angles to reduce glare for drivers and provide enough lighting for the workers in order to stay within MUTCD standards. Regular maintenance of the equipment is necessary, and any malfunctioning lights should be replaced right away to avoid safety issues.
6. Lack of Emergency Planning
The Violation: Without a solid emergency response plan, construction workers can be caught off guard when accidents, equipment breakdowns or medical emergencies happen, increasing the potential severity of the situation.
Create a thorough emergency plan that includes first aid locations, communication strategies, and escape routes. Train all employees in the importance of emergency response and conduct frequent drills to ensure everyone is prepared and aware of their duties.
Building a Safety Program
A traffic control plan that emphasizes safety and adheres to local laws is the first step in preventing safety violations in work zones. Consider scheduling refresher courses to keep employees up to date on the most recent safety practices and ensure they consistently use their safety equipment, from high-visibility vests to traffic control devices. Regular training is also a must.
Partnering with a safety expert can help fine-tune your approach. A solid safety program means fewer accidents, less risk to your business and safer workers.
