15.3 Road maintenance group using work safety measures, Nepal

PHOTO 15.3

Road maintenance group using work safety measures, Nepal

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include maintenance tasks that can be carried out by unskilled workers using basic hand tools. The main objective of the RMGs is to ensure the proper functioning of the roads and reduce damage to the roads by maintaining the road-protection measures, particularly the drainage systems and support walls. The RMGs are also responsible for routine maintenance, specifically repairing minor damage to preempt further deterioration of the road. Their activities include clearing culverts, clearing and cutting vegetation on roadsides and drainage structures, and clearing drainage ditches and landslides. They carry out specific minor maintenance aimed at creating basic road-protection structures to prevent damage to the road. some of these activities could also include the road-water management techniques presented in previous chapters of these guidelines, such as creating side drains that divert water to farmland, building stone-paved water crossings to prevent erosion, and protecting slopes by planting vegetation. a “length worker” system is used for the rural road network, whereby groups of workers are engaged to maintain the entire road. Rather than having one person work on a dedicated stretch of road, as is common in many countries, the RMGs can allocate their members according to need, allowing them to spend more time on road sections that present more problems. When the RMGs allocate their resources efficiently, they alleviate administrative challenges in contracting, supervision, planning, and inspection, which is particularly convenient on unpaved rural roads, where maintenance is often cumbersome. The RMG