Road Construction Vehicle Safety
Road construction is a hazardous occupation and ranked as one of the most dangerous places to work. Whilst roads are safer and casualties are at their lowest level for over 40 years, incidents involving road workers have risen. Keeping workers safe is a challenging yet essential task.
The main cause of roadside worker injuries and fatalities is contact with construction vehicles and plant.
55% of incidents occur within the work zone itself and of these, the majority involve a moving vehicle, many of which have extensive driver blind spots. With an increase in road traffic, more construction work is now scheduled at night and in all weather and whilst this eases congestion on the roads, poor visibility makes highway construction work even more dangerous: 25% of accidents occur in the evening although less than 9% of the workforce is on duty. Ear defenders cause further safety issues as workers cannot always hear approaching or reversing vehicles.
