AASHTO Journal, 18 December 2015
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials on Dec. 17 joined with a coalition of road construction and safety groups, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration plus other federal offices to sign a five-year renew of an alliance to make construction work zones safer.
This is the third time these groups have renewed their partnership since first joining together in 2007, in an effort to reduce the number of crashes, deaths and injuries that occur along road construction sites.
The industry associations in their coalition called the Roadway Work Zone Safety and Health Partners include AASHTO and the following:
-American Road and Transportation Builders Association,
-Associated General Contractors of America,
-International Union of Operating Engineers,
-Laborers’ Health and Safety Fund of North America,
-Laborers’ International Union of North America,
-National Asphalt Pavement Association,
-National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and
-LIUNA Education and Training Fund.
Construction groups in the alliance represent more than 1.2 million members and workers nationwide. Under the agreement, alliance partners agree to provide to their members information, guidance and access to training resources designed to protect their health and safety in those work zones.
“We know that prevention is the key,” said Bud Wright, AASHTO’s executive director. “Roughly 20,000 injuries occur each year in highway construction work zones. By working in an organized way, the alliance is trying to bring those numbers down by improving work zone safety through education, training and increased awareness.”
Since the first two-year agreement in 2007, alliance members have convened or participated in forums, round table discussions and stakeholder meetings to forge innovative solutions to work zone safety and health issues.
During this new five-year agreement, the alliance will continue to work with its member state DOT officials, plus paramedics, police officers, truck drivers and others who operate in work zones to share information about traffic management techniques.
That includes a focus on how to enter and exit work zones safely, how to prevent construction equipment related incidents, the use of proper personal protective equipment and high-visibility apparel, and improving communications with non-English-speaking or limited-English-speaking workers.