How Proper Traffic Control Plans Can Enhance Work Zone Safety

How Proper Traffic Control Plans Can Enhance Work Zone Safety Traffic control & management expert...

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Construction along roadways brings in lots of complexities including work zone safety, delays, etc.

A lot of time and money is invested in researching a way to enhance the safety and efficiency of a work zone. Preventing work zone fatality is a need of an hour and while you can't control the travelling public, you need to take important steps in order to keep the workers and pedestrians safe during construction.

This is where you need to have traffic control plans to prevent work zone intrusions. While conducting any construction or development project, you need to make few alterations to the existing traffic operations in order to ensure the safe driving and smooth traffic control whilst performing the needed work.

These work zones often throw a challenge in terms of safety and mobility for many states, local and private agencies that conduct maintenance or construction work on public highways. Road users should be warned in advance or else they’ll be unaware of the upcoming changes in their travel environment until these work zones are visible to them.

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This is where temporary traffic control plans are used to assist users by providing appropriate guidance and visible cues. Although every work zone differs from others and needs a specific traffic control plan that caters to those needs, there are several common components to it. It helps in promoting safe and efficient movement through and around work zone whilst protecting equipment, workers and road users.

1. Plan From planning through to designing, construction and maintenance, traffic safety and temporary traffic control plan is an integral element of every project. Ensure that the plan is set up within a reasonable time prior to construction, so road users don't ignore warning signs when work commences.

2. Traffic Inspect traffic control elements on daily basis and make alterations as required.

Evaluate any near misses and re-design the plan accordingly.

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3. Awareness Provide a clear and loud message to road users as they approach and travel through the temporary traffic control plan. Keep the public updated with warning signs and real-time information on travel boards. Keep the work zone length apt to the work in progress.

4. Safety In the vicinity of temporary traffic control zones, pay proper attention to roadside safety. Install protective barriers and taper length to shield workers from intrusion.

Take additional measures such as handheld radios, sensors, intrusion alarms to keep the workers safe. Also, ensure that the workers are wearing proper and highvisibility safety gears. Besides this ensure that the job site is properly illuminated at night.

5. Comply Train all personnel who will select, place and maintain temporary traffic control devices. Road builders should be assigned a traffic control supervisor who is knowledgeable in traffic control principles.

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6. Enforce Set up proper legislative authority to implement and enforce needed traffic regulations, parking controls, speed zones and incident management.

Just because an accident hasn't happened, doesn't mean there are no more risks. Train your crew in the best possible way with a properly designed traffic control plan to help them keep safe. These can help generate proper measures to reduce work zone incidents.

If you need a traffic control plan in Melbourne, First Traffic Management is the name to trust. We are Vic Roads Pre-Qualified Company and promise to prepare a detailed traffic control plan within 48 hours of the site visit. If you engage us to supply the traffic controllers and signage vehicles, we will give our traffic control plan for FREE. Reach us today to arrange a site visit.

www.firsttraffic.com.au