Worksite Safety Update Promoting safety in road construction

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1 Worksite Safety Update Promoting safety in road construction No 116 February 2012 In this Edition: Temporary Safety Barrier Developments Page 1 Internal Traffic Control Plans for Improved Site Safety Page 2 Construction Plant and Vehicle Blind Spots Page 3 VSLS Introduced On Eastern Freeway Barrier Installation Works Page 4 Road Work Fatalities in USA and UK Page 7 Temporary Safety Barrier Developments The BarrierGuard 800 is a steel low deflection anchored temporary safety barrier and was first deployed on the Tullamarine Calder Interchange Project in 2006 to protect freeway worksites. The BarrierGuard 800 was also deployed on the West Gate Bridge where low deflection low weight barriers were required to protect worksites and prevent unauthorised access to bridge parapets during the bridge upgrade works. More recently the BarrierGuard Minimum Deflection System (MDS) has been introduced. This system is an upgrade of the standard BarrierGuard 800 with two versions available depending on site space requirements. One version incorporates a T-top channel attachment and has intermediate anchoring at 6.0m centres (with two pins) whilst the second version does not require the T-top channel attachment and has intermediate anchoring at 12.0m centres (with two pins). The maximum dynamic deflection during TL-3 tests (2000kg truck, 25 degrees, 100kph) for the 6.0m anchored system was 305 mm at the top of the barrier and 70 mm at the base whilst the maximum dynamic deflection during the same TL-3 tests for the 12.0m anchored system was 920mm at the base. This compares with the 1.5m deflection of the standard BarrierGuard 800 which is anchored at either terminal end and intermediately at 450m centres for long runs. Barrier screens to provide debris protection and prevent drivers gawking at works have also been designed. They have been subjected to impact testing simulating the energy caused by a 68 kg truck wheel travelling at 80 km/h and 10 degree impact angle. These screen panels are manufactured from thermoplastic sandwich panel with fibre-glass reinforcement. The screens have been wind tested and certified for use on the BarrierGuard 800 system subject to anchoring at 36 metre maximum spacing. Page 1 of 15

2 Standard BarrierGuard 800 barriers with screens attached. Internal Traffic Control Plans for Improved Site Safety An Internal Traffic Control Plan (ITCP) is a process used to safely coordinate the interaction between workers on foot, construction plant, delivery trucks and incidental visitors in the work space of a roadway construction work zone. In the United States approximately half of the fatal injuries to workers in a road construction site involved backing/reversing construction vehicles, with dump trucks being the most common vehicle. This compares to thirty percent traffic related fatalities on road construction sites so was clearly their highest risk area. At present reversing fatalities on road construction sites are the highest risk to road construction workers in Australia with five fatalities in a twelve month period. The U.S. National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) sponsored research to prove the applicability of the ITCP concept to paving operations on freeway work zones. An Alliance between the Labourer s Health and Safety Fund, Federal Highway Administration developed a guide to Internal Traffic Control Plans. In 2005 the U.S. Federal Government Regulations subsequently required ITCP Plans for all work zones and it is recommended that it becomes part of the Site Safety Plan (OHS Coordination Plan). Similar plans have been used previously on major project sites combined with UHF radio communications. However, the fundamental principles are applicable to all roadwork sites. Safe Work Australia has also produced a draft model code of practice for Roads and Other Vehicle Operating Areas for the mining industry which may be found at: 11/Draft%20Model%20Codes%20of%20Practice%20for%20Public%20Comment/RoadsAndOtherVehicleOperati ngareas.pdf Page 2 of 15

3 The fundamental principles for setting up an effective ITCP are: Isolate workers from mobile plant and vehicles. Reduce the need to back up. Limit vehicle access points to work zone. Coordinate truck and mobile plant movements. Provide signs within the work zone to give guidance to pedestrian workers, equipment and trucks. Design buffer spaces to separate pedestrian workers from errant vehicles and work zone equipment. Inform all on-site personnel and workers of ITCP provisions. A copy of the U.S. Roadway Safety Alliance Guidelines for Internal Traffic Control Plans is appended to this Update for information and application where practical. Construction Plant and Vehicle Blind Spots It should be recognised that one of the reasons why workers and other pedestrians are reversed over by plant and vehicles on road construction sites is because of the large blind spots behind and sometimes beside them. The operators cannot see into the blind spots. CCTV cameras, reversing alarms, proximity warning devices, etc. are being used to reduce the risk but reverse over fatalities still occur so we need to seek controls higher in the hierarchy of controls that depend less on behaviour. Internal Traffic Management Plans as described on page 2 should assist to improve site safety where mobile plant and vehicles are separated from pedestrian workers, so far as is reasonably practicable. This is the Red Zone concept where pedestrians are prohibited from plant and truck operating areas. Everyone who works on road construction sites needs training to understand the risk of being behind mobile plant and trucks. Some SWMS seek to control this risk by requiring workers to be more than 6 metres from the rear of plant when the actual blind spot may be a greater distance and undetected reversing can quickly reduce this clearance it is safer to not be in the hit zone behind plant or within its swing radius at any time. The US NIOSH has produced Construction Equipment Visibility Diagrams for most of the commonly expected mobile plant and vehicles. These diagrams show the operators visibility profiles around the plant from the viewpoint of the operator. It is interesting to see the extent of the blind spots and how far they extend beyond the plant and vehicles. They may be found on the NIOSH web site at: The US Work Zone Safety Clearing House produces a Know the Blind Spots Poster which may be used to illustrate the blind spots on most items of plant and vehicles. This poster may be viewed at: Free posters are not available outside of the USA. Alternatively you could construct your own display posters from the original diagrams. Page 3 of 15

4 VSLS Introduced On Eastern Freeway Barrier Installation Works Electronic Variable Speed Limit Signs (VSLS) have been deployed for the first time on a small roadwork project in Victoria. They were deployed for speed limit management in January on the Eastern Freeway. They have previously been deployed only on major project sites such as the M1 and M80 Upgrade projects where they were first introduced in Victoria. VSLS are highly visible to drivers and remote controlled. Traffic Management Personnel are not exposed on a daily basis to traffic risks when VSLS are used. The VSLS were deployed by South East Metro Region in conjunction with steel safety barriers, non-gating barrier crash attenuators (as level 2 physical protection from traffic). They protected permanent barrier installation works. Speed compliance was excellent with average speeds recorded of 58 km/h during the duration of the project. This reinforces the experience with VSLS on other projects. Studies by the NSW Roads and Maritime Services (formally the RTA) have shown that the VSLS type displays are effective in reducing worksite speed limits. The flashing red annulus improves conspicuity above the conventional static signage when speed has been reduced. The RMS recorded a 10% reduction in worksite speed limits with VSLS compared to conventional signs. The graph below shows the difference between the VSLS and Conventional signs at night time, when most of their works are normally conducted. Graph showing speeds with normal signs (blue) and with electronic speed limit signs (red) Page 4 of 15

5 Because the selected barriers had a predicted impact deflection of 2.75 metres at 80 km/h it was necessary to limit the speed to 60 km/h where the barrier deflection was reduced to 1.5 metres. Lower deflection or anchored barriers would be recommended in future and this could also facilitate an 80 km/h speed limit. The rebound able delineators should be installed parallel to the carriage way to ensure that drivers are given at least two seconds warning at the maximum speed past the worksite, should their vehicle intrude past the edge line and be on a collision course for the VSLS trailer. The emergency lane was occupied for the project as has been the practice to facilitate a safe workplace on other freeway worksites. The M80 Project made the VSLS available to SE Metro Region for the project. Winslow was the contractors. Congratulations to all concerned for utilising a combination of controls including barriers as a high level safety control. VSLS trailers on both sides of freeway Page 5 of 15

6 Approaches to the VSLS included rebound able anchored delineators to provide an audio-tactile errant driver warning to take evasive action before striking the VSLS trailer. `View of worksite showing position of vehicles with respect to barriers and services proving personnel well clear of barrier No Go Zone. Vehicles also provide protection to limit barrier deflection. Page 6 of 15

7 Road Work Fatalities in USA and UK Work in the U.S. to reduce the likelihood of potentially fatal accidents at highway work zones is playing dividend. According to new figures from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), there were 576 deaths of drivers and construction workers following 514 crashes at work zones in 2010; compared to 1,058 deaths and 949 crashes in This represents a 45.5% drop in highway work zone deaths, and a 45.8% fall in work zone crashes. The use of positive protection in the form of road closures, temporary safety barriers and Truck Mounted Attenuators (TMAs) via more stringent legislation and state and federal distracted driver campaigns are considered to be significant contributing factors to the reduction in fatalities. Last month, the Highways Agency (HA) in the UK and its English West Midlands contractor released figures showing there were 103 incidents between April 2010 and March 2011 where road workers narrowly escaped injury after drivers struck cones, veered into a work zone area or were involved in road traffic collisions. In England alone nine road workers were killed and a further ten seriously injured by motorists travelling through works on motorways and A roads between 2005 and Over the same period, seven drivers and three passengers were reported to have been killed while driving through road works. Worksite Site Safety Update is produced monthly by VicRoads Major Projects Division to communicate industry safety information and initiatives within VicRoads and to our contractors. It is also circulated via the WorkSafe Safety Soapbox to industry. The content reflects civil road construction and maintenance safety and includes works conducted on or beside operational roads. The editor may be contacted at: michael.rose@roads.vic.gov.au Page 7 of 15

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