34 Oregon Trucking Association, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch Work Zone Safety & Truck Drivers By Adam Williamson | OTA’s Director of Training & Development WORK ZONE SAFETY is a significant concern both within the state of Oregon and on a national level. According to a study released by ODOT in 2017, Oregon has averaged just under 500 work related crashes with 18 serious injuries and 5 fatalities every year. These crashes tend to be more severe than those outside of a work zone with construction workers in particular being roughly six times more likely to be killed or injured on the job compared to other professions. Clearly, the nature of roadside construction leaves many workers in vulnerable positions, and extra care is needed by all drivers passing through these zones, including our truck drivers. Drivers and passengers are not without increased risks as well. Both Oregon and national studies have actually found that more drivers or their passengers are killed or injured in work zone crashes than roadside workers (85% of fatalities in recent years were drivers or their passengers). The safety concern clearly extends both ways. The biggest contributor to work zone accidents is driver inattention. Speed is also often a big factor. This tells us that better training and better judgment can likely make an impact in reducing these types of accidents. Having recently recognized National Work Zone Awareness week April 17–21 and with roadside construction work picking up with the spring weather, this is a good time to remind your drivers about the extra precautions they need to take. Some industry recommended best practices for avoiding work zone accidents include: ` Planning your trip ahead of time. Oregon has a great resource with the Trip-Check website that generally provides very good information on current road conditions. This resource should be consulted by both drivers and dispatchers when planning routes and schedules. It may be possible to avoid work zones entirely in some cases if an alternative route is available. If it is not possible to avoid the zone, then care should be taken to allow enough time for drivers to work through the expected slowdowns without pushing the clock to stay compliant with hours of service. This will set drivers up for success. ` Slow down and be patient. No one likes traffic delays, but work zones are not the place to try making up a little extra time (remember that speed is a leading factor in work zone accidents). The reduced speeds in work zones are there to protect both the workers as well as the drivers. ` Follow the directions of signs and workers flagging traffic. They will help direct you toward the appropriate route through as well as help to prevent confusion when a single lane is being used by traffic in both directions. ` Increase your following distances as needed and keep your primary focus on driving. Understanding that inattention is the biggest factor in work zone accidents, this is not the time to get distracted by all of the activity going on just outside your window. Give yourself a little extra space, and do not let your mind wander. In addition to other vehicles passing through the zone, also be on the lookout for construction vehicles or other equipment moving in and out of the main travel lane. ` Look for irregular lane widths, equipment, or workers standing on the roadside when making a turn. While construction workers try to set up a zone in a way that will allow for safe passage, the layout can vary sometimes from a standard road lane. Equipment or workers may be encroaching on the lane without always realizing how close they are or how much space large trucks may need to make a turn safely. Expect the unexpected. With work zone crashes being so much more severe and the risks so high, you can expect that law enforcement will be patrolling these areas more aggressively. Fines are often doubled. Truth be told though; we should not need increased fines to get the point. Trucking has long prided itself as an industry that values safety. Taking extra caution when passing through these high-risk locations is a great way to demonstrate our commitment to safety. Regular road construction and maintenance is just as vital to transportation as the vehicles that transport goods. Let’s all work together to keep our roads safe. SAFETY
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