C
onstruction work
zones are some of the
most brightly des-
ignated areas along
roads and highways,
even rivaling the ubiquitous bill-
board. Unfortunately, that visibility
hasn't stopped accidents in what
the public assumes is a cordoned-
off haven.
In 2014, 116 workers deaths oc-
curred in road construction sites,
according to the latest figures avail-
able from the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics' Census of Fatal Occupa-
tional Injuries. The average yearly
worker death figure is 121 over a
10-year period, from 2005 to 2014.
Distracted driving gets much
of the blame for work zone acci-
dents, since motorists have multiple
attention-getting options in their
vehicles. In fact, that variable is the
focus of many national and state-
wide awareness campaigns. This
year's theme for 17th annual Na-
tional Work Zone Safety Awareness
EquipmentWorld.com | June 2016
87
highway contractor
|
by Chris Hill
|
ChrisHill@randallreilly.com
Caltrans
The future of work zone safety:
Intelligent transportation systems
and smarter work zones
A California Department of Transportation
(Caltrans) worker protected by a Balsi
Beam system. The system, named after a
Caltrans worker killed in a work zone, is a
portable double beam barrier.
