WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 9, 2016 11
A SUPPLEMENT TO THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
THIS IS MY WORKPLACE. SLOW DOWN SAFE ROADS CAMPAIGN URGES DRIVER CAUTION IN CONSTRUCTION ZONES BY WENDY KING WORKER SAFETY IS THE NO. 1 PRIORITY IN HEAVY CONSTRUCTION, AND SAFETY MANAGERS DO JUST WHAT THEIR TITLE SUGGESTS — MANAGE ALL FACETS OF SAFETY FOR THEIR CREWS, INCLUDING TRAINING, IMPLEMENTING SAFE WORK PROCEDURES AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE.
B ut no matter how diligently they perform their jobs, there’s one hazard in which the motoring public plays an important role: vehicle traffic in construction zones. “We do hazard assessments prior to the workday every day, and safety meetings every week, and the topic that comes up a lot is protecting our safety due to having to deal with the motoring public,” says Mike Burtnick, safety manager at Maple Leaf Construction. Flaggers, who direct traffic safely around work sites, are the most visible workers in construction zones, and often they are at the greatest risk. The biggest concerns are drivers who fail to obey speed limits, pay attention to traffic control signs or flagger instructions. Driver frustration due to construction delays can be a danger when it is directed at flaggers or others on a construction site. Burtnick says that flaggers have had extremely close calls and even contact with vehicles. In some instances, protective barriers are ignored or even moved.
that ignoring flaggers and reduced speed zones can result in tickets and hefty fines. “The roadway, the parking lot, the development — that’s our office, so please respect us when we are at work. We want all of our workers to go home in one piece.” Baschuk says the industry has introduced and embraced a variety of safety initiatives to protect workers, but it still needs cooperation from the public. ”The new regulations for flagger apparel, more visible signage and stronger penalties for traffic violations in construction zones are things the whole industry is completely onboard with, and it has made a huge difference,” she says. “We do everything we can on our side of it, but when we send our crews out to a work site we require the cooperation of the driving public to help ensure the safety of our workers.” ■
Tara Baschuk, safety coordinator at Bituminex Paving, says she’s had flaggers take themselves off the streets because of close calls. “They were worried or they were scared, and that is ultimately what the road safety campaigns are about,” she says. “If people won’t pay attention to that, I don’t know what else we can possibly do … there are lives at stake.” Distracted drivers are a problem too, looking down at their phones or dealing with other things in their vehicles. Burtnick says drivers also speed through construction sites because they think there is no one working. But lane closures mean people may be on the site at any time. “It could be a supervisor stopping by on a Sunday or a Saturday after a heavy rainfall, checking to make sure the site is ready to go for the next day,” he says. Burtnick would like to ensure that new drivers in particular are taught to be aware
“We’ve had incidents where frustrated drivers have ignored directions because they don’t want to wait so they go around the lineup of vehicles that have stopped, putting themselves, our flaggers and our work crews in danger,” Burtnick says. Since 2004, the annual SAFE Roads campaign has used billboards, transit ads and other media to urge drivers to slow down and use caution in construction zones and elsewhere on our roadways where workers are present, including emergency services personnel, utility repair persons and equipment operators. At the launch for the 2016 SAFE Roads campaign — This is My Workplace. Slow Down — Manitoba Heavy Construction Association president and SAFE Roads committee chair Chris Lorenc said the message is getting through. He cited research that shows 84 per cent of people reached through SAFE Roads campaigns are more considerate of workers. But not all motorists are getting the message.
Specializing in • Asphalt Paving/Concrete Paving • Site Development • Sewer & Water Services • Diamond Grinding
COR Certified
– BUILDING THE FUTURE – Municipal | Residential Commercial and Industrial Works Aggregate and Paving Works Underground Services Phone 204-949-8700 | Fax 204-237-8337 www.nelsonriver.com
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777 Erin St. Winnipeg, MB R3G 2W2 Phone: 204-783-7091 | Fax: 204-786-3106 www.mapleleafconstruction.mb.ca
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