Safety is a top priority here at Gray & Son, which is why we’ve written about it on our blog multiple times. This week is Work Zone Safety Week, so we wanted to highlight some of the ways we make sure our highway work zones are safe for our crews and the public.
We frequently remind our teams of the steps they can take to stay safe. Here are some of the top safety tips a worker can adopt to protect themselves from a highway work zone injury.
- Wear high visibility garments, such as class 3 vests
- Make sure ALL M.O.T – Maintenance of Traffic – is in place before starting the job
- Be aware of all potential hazards, especially blind spots relative to moving construction equipment
- Always look before you move from your position
- Understand the travel routes and where to walk – understand where vehicles and equipment are entering or leaving and the direction of all traffic in and out of the work area
- Use spotters while loading and unloading equipment
- If acting as a spotter, know where you are expected to stand, and confirm what hand signals are to be used
- Be aware of the swing area for equipment
- Never stand under any suspended loads, equipment buckets or booms
- All workers on foot should make positive eye contact with equipment operators when working near equipment
- Above all else – never assume that equipment operators or motorists outside the work zone have spotted you and will slow down or stop – take precautions to protect yourself
- Be extra careful when working at night!
- Always think about safety and be aware of your surroundings
Ultimately, we want our crews to be thinking about safety with every action they take on a job site, particularly when working on or near a highway.
For our readers, we want to remind you to pay particular attention when driving through a work zone. Go slowly and watch for workers! If we are all focused on work zone safety, we’ll ensure that our crew members will get home safely at the end of every work day.
