Road maintenance, repair, and expansion are inevitable processes road contractors have to take on now and then. Like any other construction project, road contractors face safety hazards every time they set out to work. While it is easier to mitigate these risks in a closed operation, it is harder to implement safety if you are working on an active road.
The best way to stay safe when working on an active road is to manage the traffic properly using road safety supplies. Here are some of the tricks and tips you can use to make your operation safer for your employees and others involved:
Put Up Road Signs to Warn Drivers in Advance
Road signs at a good distance from the work site that warn road users of repair work ahead are a great way to bring things under control. Apart from a just warning, set up other speed limit advisory signs. By the time the drivers get to your construction site, they are driving at low and easy to manage speeds.
Awareness is the first step to bringing safety around your project. You wouldn’t want anyone ramming into barricades or any earthmoving equipment at highway speeds.
Get Traffic Safety Drums and Barricades
If the speed advisory and ‘Road Works Ahead’ signs don’t work, you will need a physical barrier to keep drivers off critical work areas. Sometimes, it is better for the drivers to have a minor fender bender than falling into a deep construction pit or ramming into a crane.
Getting some traffic safety drums and barricades is a great way to keep people out of harm’s way. The drivers will see them immediately and brake before colliding. If a collision happens, chances are the car will be brought to stop fast without causing as much harm as it would have if it ran straight into the operation.
Get Some Lighting Devices for Night Time Use
Most drivers have a hard time reading roadside signs at night. Because of this, they may not see your open work site until it’s too late. The best way to solve this is by using lighting devices and portable traffic lights to warn road users of the construction work at night.
If construction workers are in the night shift, invest in some floodlights to make everything in the work area highly visible. This will not only ensure that your employees see what they are doing but also create a bright target for other road users. This increased visibility minimizes surprises, giving drivers a chance to react to the obstruction before any danger occurs.
Road construction and repair is a crucial undertaking. It must be done to keep our roads safe and efficient. However, whenever it happens, there are some mild interferences with the natural flow of traffic. Your safety precautions should make sure that traffic flows as smoothly as possible to avoid inconveniencing the drivers. Irate road users will most probably break more rules, making the entire operation less safe than it should be.
