As the public rushes to get to work on time, attention to what or who is busy at work on the road ahead should be a top priority. Long before 8:00 am, the average Street Department or Highway worker has been on the job for an hour or more. The public needs all the help they can get in noticing workers patching a hole, fixing a streetlight, or any number of other road maintenance work.

     Traffic safety preparedness should be at the top of the list for every worker and traffic/highway department manager. Warning signs, traffic cones, barricades, safety vests, reflective clothing, and flaggers are crucial to ensuring workers get home to their families at the end of the day.

     Too often, workers trying to get the job done quickly fail to set up a safe work zone. For example, I was driving to work today, and noticed a large street department truck stopped in the middle of the lane on a curve in which I was driving. The truck completely obstructed my view of oncoming traffic. As I carefully tried passing the truck, another car headed towards me in the opposite direction. Vehicles were parked on the shoulder area of the lane we were both traveling in so only one car could pass the truck at one time. The street department workers had placed one cone just in front of their truck and another one behind, but there was no warning sign and no flagger. If the other driver had been distracted, this could have ended badly as neither of us had any warning that work was being performed. This was clearly a dangerous and not a work SAFETY zone set up.

     Never forget, distracted drivers are everywhere, and yes, they will feel bad if they injure or kill a worker or passing pedestrian, but what good is that? Make worker safety a top priority by making sure the work zone is a SAFE zone.

     Are you unsure how to set up a safe work zone? Check out the federal highway administration's manual on uniform traffic control devices at https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/kno_2009r1r2.htm .

     SC Supply Company carries a Pocket Reference Guide for Temporary Traffic Control based on the MUTCD 2009 edition. Keep checking out our blogs on ways to safely set up and manage a work zone.