During 1999, a review of fatalities in OSHA’s Region V
showed that there had been over 50 fatalities to construction workers in roadway
work zones in the previous five years. Due to passage of the Transportation
Equity Act in 1998, which would provide millions of dollars for roadway
improvements, the number of roadway construction sites was expected to increase
significantly. Starting in 2000, OSHA’s Region V took steps to help prevent
fatalities at these sites.
The first of these steps was to initiate a Local Emphasis Program (LEP) in the
states of Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin. This involved new training for all
compliance officers covering inspections in roadway work zones, as well as
increased inspection activity. Since the LEP was signed, approximately 300
inspections have been conducted each year on employers engaged in construction
activities in roadways.
Contractors and the road building associations took note of the increase in
inspection activity. In Illinois, OSHA was asked to sit on the safety committee
of the Illinois Road and Transportation Builders Association (IRTBA). OSHA
attends their meetings, conducts speeches for their members several times each
year, and provides information on the most common hazards identified during
inspections.
Region V staff have also been a part of an ongoing informal partnership with the
American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) to address fatalities
related to highway cone-setting. A recommended best practice, approved by OSHA’s
Directorate of Construction, on the most suitable safety improvements to
cone-setting trucks was presented to the ATSSA at their mid-year conference.
In addition to their work with the IRTBA and the ATSSA, OSHA Region V staff have
made presentations at many other major association and industry conferences,
including CONEXPO-CON/AGG, the International Conference on Roadway Work Zone
Safety, the American Road and Transportation Builders Mid Year Conference, and
the Construction Safety Conference and Exposition.
These efforts in inspection and compliance assistance led to an increased
awareness of proper roadway work zone safety. From 2000 to 2002, the three
targeted states went from over 10 fatalities per year to 2 fatalities. Illinois,
which had the highest number of fatalities prior to this effort, had zero
fatalities in 2002.
In late 2003 and early 2004, a number of workers were killed in roadway work
zones, not as a result of poor work zone design, but instead as a result of
drunk drivers crashing into the work zones. OSHA staff in Region V are currently
participating on a task force formed by the Governor of Illinois to address this
issue.
"Compliance officers in the field have noticed a vast improvement since the
implementation of these programs. Employers, both big and small, are making
improvements in signage and work zone delineation,“ said John Maronic of OSHA’s
Region V.
For more information on the OSHA’s Region V roadway work zone programs, contact
John Maronic at John Maronic.
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