Line work is inherently risk-laden. Most work areas where line crews operate are “off site,” where exposures are more challenging to control.

But among the hazards they face, one of the most dangerous issues that line workers encounter has little or nothing to do with line contact or falling hazards. Claims records show that vehicle operations are a leading cause of loss for our utility clients and some of these losses occur not when workers are operating a vehicle, but rather when they are engaged in work at a worksite that is exposed to vehicles driven by members of the public. 

Working in or along streets or highways is clearly hazardous. The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that there were more than 37,000 injuries in work zones and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics show that 609 fatalities were recorded in 2012, the most recent year for which statistics are available. This means workers are injured in roadway work zones at the rate of 4 per hour, or 96 per day, every day of the year. While happily enough only few are utility workers, any number is too many, particularly if one of your employees is among the victims. Such accidents are sudden and violent, with tragic consequences that are almost always preventable. 

Utility work zones pose unique challenges to both motorists and workers’ health and safety. This work often must take place on or near roadways that remain open, and typically is of short duration compared to roadway construction and maintenance activities. As a result, it is often impractical to create detailed, site-specific work zone temporary traffic control plans for each and every work zone visited in a typical day. The key to setting up a safe work area on or alongside a public roadway is the quality of the planning when setting up the work zone.

Utilities should ensure that all of field workers know and follow all of the safety rules when they set up traffic control for their work area. Traffic control and work zone safety should be regularly covered in monthly safety meetings and in tailgates prior to such work. 

Here are some basic work zone control techniques that should be covered in these sessions, but first, here’s a primary rule of thumb that is often overlooked; simply don’t work in the street if you don’t have to. Hazard avoidance is the most effective form of control. But when that isn’t possible: 

• Schedule this work during off-peak traffic hours whenever possible. The roads are obviously more crowded at heavy commuting or shopping hours, and people on the way to work or on the way home are almost always in a hurry! 
• Provide - and ensure the use of - plenty of signs, cones, barrels, and flaggers. When in doubt, use more!
• Provide adequate warning to drivers. Lane closures require longer transition zones to allow drivers more time to see what’s coming, and to merge smoothly. Short transitions create real problems for both drivers and workers. Keep in mind that flashing yellow caution lights or strobe lights attract attention more effectively than cones or signs alone.
• Place idle trucks and equipment so as provide a barrier between the work area and approaching traffic when possible. Use heavy equipment this way when not in use.
• Don’t forget that booms project as they swing, and avoid putting knuckles or booms into or above open traffic lanes. If a conflict is unavoidable, it will be necessary to stop or divert traffic safely, using properly trained and equipped spotters and flaggers.

Policies for work zone traffic control have to be both flexible and effective. This list barely skims the surface of the issue of traffic control. Other resources you should become familiar with include Federal and State Websites. The Federal guidelines can be found here - http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov - and every State has its own department of transportation website (too many to list here) and you should find and refer to your State’s site too. There are many resources with more detailed treatments that you should consult. One of the best is this clearinghouse site - www.workzonesafety.org. Their comprehensive report entitled “Utility Work Zone Traffic Control Guidelines” can be accessed directly through this link - http://www.workzonesafety.org/files/documents/training/fhwa_wz_grant/wsu_ttcp_guidelines.pdf.

Any work zone injury is one too many!