National Work Zone Awareness Week Begins

Here's a great article by Accuform Signs' Ashley Price, Merchandising Manager and blogger at Notable Regulations. You can email her with any questions regarding this or past blog posts.

Imagine showing up to work every day and being faced with the constant danger of speeding, distracted motorists whizzing by only mere feet from you while also being surrounded by a bustle of heavy equipment, materials and machinery. This is “the office” for workers building and improving our American roadways.

This week (April 23-27) is the 13^th annual National Work Zone Awareness Week. Started in 1999, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in coordination with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), sponsor the week-long event that strives to spread awareness of the myriad of dangers in highway work zones. Many states are also now hosting their own Work Zone Awareness events.

This year’s national kick-off event will be hosted by the Missouri Department of Transportation on Route 141 where a relocation project is underway near St. Louis to upgrade the three-lane road to a six-lane freeway. Missouri was chosen because of their level of commitment to work zone awareness. The theme chosen for this year’s awareness week is “Don’t Barrel Through Work Zones! Drive Smart to Arrive Alive”.

In 2010, there were 576 work zone fatalities that resulted from 514 fatal motor vehicle crashes, with 80% being the vehicle operators and passengers and 20% workers, pedestrians and cyclists. On the up-side, those numbers are down and have been decreasing steadily over the years. Work zone fatalities are actually decreasing at a faster rate than overall highway fatalities - proof of the national and state-level commitment to safer roads and programs like the National Work Zone Awareness Week. Let's give our support to continuing to reduce fatalities and injuries on our nation's roadways. Consider participating in awareness week at your place of business and even in your home.

So, as you drive through any of the thousands of work zones across our country today, remember to slow down - for you, for your family, for workers, for the families who could lose a parent, a child, a sibling, a friend. As we here at Accuform Signs say, "Safety is a Family Value".
For more information about the National Work Zone Awareness Week and for more resources visit:

• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA): http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/outreach/wz_awareness.htm
• American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA): http://www.atssa.com/NewsPR/NationalWorkZoneAwarenessWeek.aspx

For information on national regulations and policies governing work zone safety, visit: http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/resources/policy.htm
Work Zone Fatalities Charts Source: National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse and US DOT Federal Highway Administration

Class 2 T-Shirt with Flat Stitch Panels

This ANSI Class 2 t-shirt, from ML Kishigo, takes comfort and contrast to a new level. The flat-stitched contrast panels improve daytime visibility and significantly improves comfort and coolness over standard layered contrasting panels. The shirt is constructed from microfiber polyester material that wicks away moisture - keeping you dry and cool. The shirts also feature 2" silver reflective material and left chest pocket. Available in both high visibility Lime and Orange. Sizes M-5XL. ANSI/ISEA 107 Class 2 compliant.

HiVisSupply is proud to offer high visibility apparel for a variety of job duties like roadside construction, manufacturing, plant assembly, mining, surveying, forestry, power generator construction, shipyard construction, warehouse and facility maintenance, utilities department, sewer maintenance, electrical line construction, wind energy construction, ethanol and oil refinery and many others. HiVis Supply offers great savings and product selection for helping you maintain a safe and OSHA/ANSI compliant work environment. If you're looking for discounted safety equipment or identification products on sale, visit our web specials page or sign up for our email promotions.

What is Distracted Driving?

Distracted driving is a huge topic right now, and has surpassed drunk driving as the number one topic of conversation about driving and the road. It does not discriminate; old or young, male or female, distracted driving affects us all.

But what exactly is distracted driving? Distracted driving is any activity that could divert a person's attention away from the primary task of driving. All distractions endanger driver, passenger, and bystander safety. These types of distractions include:

• Texting
• Using a cell phone or smartphone
• Eating and drinking
• Talking to passengers
• Grooming
• Reading, including maps
• Using a navigation system
• Watching a video
• Adjusting a radio, CD player, or MP3 player

But, because text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarming distraction.

The best way to end distracted driving is to educate all Americans about the danger it poses, not only to drivers, but also to roadside construction crews, emergency personnel, law enforcement officers, surveyors and more. 

On this page, you'll find facts and statistics that are powerfully persuasive. If you don't already think distracted driving is a safety problem, please take a moment to learn more. And, as with everything on Distraction.gov, please share these facts with others. Together, we can help save lives.

Key Facts and Statistics

• In 2009, 5,474 people were killed in crashes involving driver distraction, and an estimated 448,000 were injured. (NHTSA)
• 16% of fatal crashes in 2009 involved reports of distracted driving. (NHTSA)
• 20% of injury crashes in 2009 involved reports of distracted driving. (NHTSA)
• In the month of June 2011, more than 196 billion text messages were sent or received in the US, up nearly 50% from June 2009. (CTIA)
• Teen drivers are more likely than other age groups to be involved in a fatal crash where distraction is reported. In 2009, 16% of teen drivers involved in a fatal crash were reported to have been distracted. (NHTSA)
• 40% of all American teens say they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in a way that put people in danger. (Pew)
• Drivers who use hand-held devices are 4 times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. (Monash University)
• Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted. (VTTI)Sending or receiving a text takes a driver's eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent-at 55 mph-of driving the length of an entire football field, blind. (VTTI)
• Headset cell phone use is not substantially safer than hand-held use. (VTTI)
• Using a cell phone while driving - whether it's hand-held or hands-free delays a driver's reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent. (University of Utah)
• Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37%. (Carnegie Mellon)

Black Series Class 2 T-Shirt

The Black Series t-shirt from ML Kishigo is constructed from microfiber polyester material which wicks away moisture, keeping you dry and cool. The shirt also utilizes a 2" silver, breathable reflective tape that significantly reduces "hot spots" and provides greater flexibility over solid tapes. The black sides provide contrast and add a sporty look. Available in both high visibility Lime and Orange. ANSI/ISEA 107 Class 2 Compliant.

Struck-by Accidents in Construction/Vehicle Back-Over

 The US Department of Labor (DOL) has produced a series of prevention videos regarding safety in industry and on the jobsite. To see the series, go here.

In the U.S., more than 800 construction workers die every year while on the job. Being struck by vehicles, heavy equipment, and other objects is the top cause of injuries and the second cause of death for construction workers, killing more than 150 workers in 2009. But these injuries and deaths can be prevented. 

Employers have a responsibility to provide a safe workplace and required protective equipment. You'll see that taking the right protective steps saves lives. 

All scenes are based on true stories. A surveyor was spray painting the ground to outline the area for a new building pad. At the same time, the driver of a wheel tractor scraper was moving forward to get the ground ready for pad construction. There was no spotter at the site, and there was no internal traffic control plan in place. Before backing up to go over the ground again, the driver checked his rearview and side mirrors. He didn't see anyone in his mirrors, so he  up. The driver's back-up alarm didn't work, so the surveyor did not hear the scraper coming towards her. As the driver backed up, he ran over the surveyor. She died from the injuries.

Let's look at the events leading up to this tragic incident, and see how it could have been prevented. When a vehicle on a construction site has an obstructed view to the rear OSHA's standard requires employers to provide that vehicle with a working back-up alarm, or a spotter on site to tell the driver when it is safe to back up. Now let's see what happens when protective measures are in place. Although there is now a working back-up alarm, it is barely audible over the background noise, so as an added safety measure there is also a spotter on site wearing a reflective vest. There is also an internal traffic control plan in place. This plan helps protect workers because it tells the drivers of moving vehicles and equipment the safest way to move around the work site. So this time, before backing up, the scraper's driver waits for the spotter's signal so he knows the area is clear to enter. Now as the driver reverses, the back-up alarm can be heard and no workers are near the scraper.

This example shows the importance of employers following OSHA's vehicle safety standards for construction sites to ensure that workers are provided with a safe workplace.

These types of construction worker deaths are preventable.

The protection measures shown here save workers' lives. Please follow OSHA's safety standards at worksites: it could be the difference between life and death. If you would like more information, contact OSHA at www.osha.gov or 1-800-321-OSHA.

To view the video or get the transcript, go here.

Professional Surveyors Vest

The Professional Surveyors vest, from ML Kishigo, is designed to exceed the demanding needs of a highly functional surveyors vest. It is constructed with a solid polyester front /Ultra-Cool mesh back; and features a 2" 3M Scotchlite reflective material laminated to 3" contrasting color – increasing daytime visibility. Other features of the vest include: left and right mic holders; zipper front closure; two lapel grommets; reinforced webbing at high stress points; and a plush neck liner for comfort. The pockets of this surveyors vest include: left chest 2-tier pocket with dual function flap that can be held open by Velcro; large right gusseted pocket; outside lower pockets with flaps; left and right stake pockets; left and right elastic spray can pockets; lower inside left and right full length zipper pockets with load bearing straps; and a hidden back pouch with left and right zipper access. Available in high visibility Lime and Orange; sizes M-5XL. Choose from both ANSI/ISEA 107 Class 2 compliant and ANSI/ISEA 107 Class 3 compliant vests.

HiVis Supply is a reseller of high visibility apparel including hivis vests, ANSI Class 2 and ANSI Class 3 for a variety of job duties like construction, shipyard construction, and warehouse and facility maintenance.

 

Street Signs - What you Thought You Knew

Did you know that an "aging population" is taking over the U. S. roadways? Check out these statistics:

• A person 65 years-old needs 4X the amount of light to see at night compared to a 25 year-old.
• By 2025, The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety projects that 1 out of 4 drivers will be 65 or older.
• The larger the sign, and increased retroreflectivity, allows for quicker decision-making for older drivers and faster response times by emergency personnel,  allowing them to more easily read and understand signs thus reducing travel times to emergency situations.
• More than 50 percent of traffic accidents resulting in fatalities occur at night. Increased retroreflectivity helps to address this issue.

Street Signs

There are no requirements to replace “perfectly good signs” with new signs because of the mixed case standard. The requirements for mixed case letters in street signs generally apply when signs are replaced because of normal wear and tear. Thus, there is no added cost associated with this requirement.

Many media reports are factually incorrect when they state that signs must be replaced by January 2012. The only requirement for this date is that roadway owners have a sign management plan in place.

In 2000, the MUTCD established recommendations for minimum letter heights on street name signs. The MUTCD recommends 6” initial letter height for roads with speed limits of 40 mph or less with an option of 4” initial letter height for streets with speed limit 25 mph or less. Agencies need to evaluate and decide by January 2012 whether or not to use the recommended letter height or use an engineering study or engineering judgment to decide that a smaller letter height is acceptable.

In 2003, the MUTCD added a recommendation for letter heights of street name signs on multilane roads with speed limits greater than 40 mph. The MUTCD recommends 8” initial letter heights for post mounted and 12” letter height for overhead street name signs. Agencies need to evaluate and decide by December 2018 whether or not to use the recommended letter height or use an engineering study or engineering judgment to decide that a smaller letter height is acceptable.

Brilliant Series Class 2 Heavy Duty Vest

The Brilliant Series vests from ML Kishigo provide maximum visibility with a high visibility background material and 2" wide VizLite reflective tape with contrasting color, making it ANSI/ISEA 107 Class 2 compliant. This vest also utilizes Brilliant Trim reflective edging which considerably improves the vest's low light visibility. The reflective piping improves recognition of the wearer by distinguishing their silhouette from the other stationary objects around them. The vest is constructed of a durable and breathable 100% polyester mesh. Vest features include: zipper closure, mic tabs on chest, 2-tier pencil pocket, flapped radio pocket, inside patch pockets, outside cargo pockets with adjustable flaps, and reinforced webbing for added strength. Available in both high visibility Lime or Orange. Sizes M-5XL.

HiVis Supply is a reseller of high visibility apparel including hivis vests, ANSI Class 2 and ANSI Class 3 for a variety of job duties like mining, surveying, forestry and power generator construction.

Minimum Sign Retroreflectivity Timeline

Deadlines were established in 2007 to implement minimum levels of retroreflectivity for signage per the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).

Maintaining Minimum Retroreflectivity

1. January 22, 2012: By this date, roadway owners must adopt a plan to ensure that their signs meet Minimum Levels of Retroreflectivity by the dates cited below. The FHWA lists 5 options, among which are simple visual inspection and blanket replacement of groups of signs at the end of their “useful life” as stated by the manufacturer.

2. January 22, 2015: Regulatory and Warning Signs and Post-Mounted Signs must meet retroreflectivity requirements.

3. January 22, 2018: Overhead and Street Name signs must meet retroreflectivity requirements. If street name signs meet retroreflectivity requirements and are all CAPITAL letters, they may remain in service for the remainder of their useful life. They never have to be changed out only because of the capital letter/mixed case issue.

FHWA estimated the cost for making these retroreflectivity improvements throughout the entire United States to be $37 million dollars over a 10 year period. The reason that this figure is lower than some estimates reported in the media is that the implementation timetable detailed above was designed to roughly coincide with the useful life of existing signs. Thus, it is likely that most of them would have been replaced anyway.

For more information, check out the Sign Retroreflectivity Toolkit.

Also, check out the FHWA Sign Visibility page.

Fleece Lined Bomber Jacket

The fleece lined bomber jacket from ML Kishigo is ANSI/ISEA Class 3 compliant, and features a durable, waterproof shell with a fleece liner and fleece lined hood. In addition to the high visibility color material, the jacket also utilizes black material in the areas which most commonly get dirty - helping the jacket maintain a bright and clean appearance. The fleece lined hood is both removable and can also be hidden. Also includes, 2" wide 3M Scotchlite reflective material, right chest wallet pocket, left chest radio pocket, zipper slash side pockets and drawstring hood. Available in high visibility Lime and Orange; sizes M-5XL.


HiVis Supply is a reseller of high visibility apparel including ANSI approved clothing, safety vests and traffic vests for a variety of job duties like roadside construction, manufacturing and plant assembly.

8 Tips for Road Safety in Construction Zones

The Great American Highway is decaying - it's crumbling, a part of the national infrastructure that badly needs a facelift. That said, highway construction zones are popping up everywhere.

Drivers must put up with long delays, lane changes, congestion and ultimately frustration while commuting. And sometimes construction zones are unavoidable, so drivers have to take care, caution and extra time to get to where they're going safely.

Being a safe driver comes with the responsibility to exercise caution, good judgment and put workers first in highway construction zones.

Here are some best practices for entering into and driving through highway construction areas:

• Give yourself adequate time to get where you're going. Ever notice you hit every red light only when you're late?
• Check the traffic patterns on TV, radio or internet websites prior to departure. You may even be able to plan a route around heavy traffic or construction areas.
• Take the time to read the signs. Signs can tell you how fast to go, what lies ahead and when congestion should clear up. they'll also tell you when you've exited the zone.
• Use your headlights even in the daytime. Making your vehicle more visible also helps roadside workers.
• Keep a safe distance. Unexpected stops are prevalant in construction zones and rear-end collisions are commonplace.
• Obey flaggers.
• No texting while driving. Talking on a cell phone, tuning the radio, eating, reading, or other similarly distracting activities can quickly lead to an accident.
• And most of all - SLOW DOWN! Many accidents can be avoided just by going a little slower. This increases your reaction time, and allows workers to more safely maneuver throughout the workzone.

With a little more care and caution, we can lower the risks of injury to roadside workers, and improve our nation's highways for generations to come.

5 States with the Highest Number of Work Zone Fatalities

The 2010 crash fatalities per state have been published by Work Zone Safety. They report that there were a total of 32,885 total crashes in the 50 states (not including Puerto Rico), with 576 crashes in work zones for the year.

Here are the 5 states with the highest number of crashes in work zones:

• Texas – 96 work zone fatalities – 2,902 total = 3.3% work zone crash fatalities
• Georgia - 57 work zone fatalities – 1,187 total = 4.8% work zone crash fatalities
• Florida - 43 work zone fatalities – 2,398 total = 1.7% work zone crash fatalities
• California – 41 work zone fatalities – 2,671 total = 1.5% work zone crash fatalities
• Illinois - 32 work zone fatalities – 895 total = 3.5% work zone crash fatalities

These 5 states represent 251 of the 576 (43.5%) of the total work zone crash fatalities for 2010.

Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii and New Hampshire and North Dakota all reported 0 incidents of work zone related fatalities.

Alaska, the District of Columbia, Rhode Island and Vermont only registered double-digit traffic fatalities not work-zone related.

From 2009 to 2010, there were:

• About 1,000 fewer overall fatalities overall - 33,883 in 2009 and 32,885 in 2010
• About 100 fewer work zone fatalities 680 to 576
• Texas went down from 109 to 96
• Florida – down from 82 to 43
• California – down from 46 to 41
• Georgia – up from 32 to 57
• Illinois – up from 31 to 32

Wikipedia estimates these states will have the largest total populations in 2011: California, Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois.

HiVis Supply wishes you a safe and happy 2012, where work zone fatalities are zero. There is no reason for work zone fatalities, and we believe they can all be prevented by awareness, discipline, slower driving and hi-visibility clothing and safety gear.