The Basics of Surveying

Surveying is defined as the art, science, and technology of detecting the relative position of points at, above, or below the surface of the earth; or establishing such points. Ultimately, a surveyor determines land boundaries. They also determine boundaries of roads to be built, help make sure skyscrapers are being erected vertically and measure airports so that the runways are perfectly aligned and smooth. Land surveying is commonly, and comically, referred to as the world's second-oldest profession.
Surveyors also map:
- topography of land for engineering design
- establish elevations of home sites for flood insurance
- perform title surveys for real estate transactions
- certify that structures are built according to design
- lay out buildings and subdivisions
- map river bottoms for dredging
- lay out photo control for aerial photography and photogrammetry
- write legal descriptions to describe pieces of property
- map and layout corridors for tunnels, roads, airports, pipelines, cellular networks and railroads
Being a surveyor means having a full understanding of the inexactness, uncertainty, and variable nature of measurement. This creates the professional attitude needed to constantly seek new evidence, and consequently a higher probability of approaching the truth or proving something with confidence. As an analyst of both measurement data and boundary location evidence, the surveyor is in a position to develop a keen sensitivity to the importance of finding and applying the truth.


For more information used in this article and downloadable pdf's:
Oregon DOT/Geometronics pdf
Ferris Basics of Surveying pdf
Harrelson Basics of Surveying pdf
Surveying Equipment pdf

HiVis Supply is a reseller of high visibility apparel including: ANSI approved clothing, safety vests, traffic vests, incident command vests, specialty vests, survey vests, high visibility t-shirts, high visibility jackets, sweatshirts, coats, windbreakers and rainwear.

Coal Mining Most Frequently Cited Standard of 2010

The accumulation of combustible materials in coal mines leads all violations in the last 90 days with 2,197 violations, or 11.52% of all violations.

From the Mine Safety and Health Administration, www.msha.gov, 30 CFR § 75.400:
Coal dust, including float coal dust deposited on rock-dusted surfaces, loose coal, and other combustible materials, shall be cleaned up and not be permitted to accumulate in active workings, or on diesel- powered and electric equipment therein.
[61 FR 55527, Oct. 25, 1996]

For an explosion to occur, there are five necessary elements which must occur simultaneously: fuel, heat, oxygen, suspension, and confinement. These form the five sides of the Explosion Pentagon. Like the fire triangle, removing any one of these requirements would prevent an explosion from propagating. For example, if fuel, heat, oxygen, and confinement occurred together in proper quantities, an explosion would still not be possible without the suspension of the fuel. However, in this case, a fire could occur. If the burning fuel were then placed in suspension by a sudden blast of air, all five sides of the explosion pentagon would be satisfied and an explosion would be imminent.

HiVis Supply www.hivissupply.com is proud to offer high visibility apparel for a variety of job duties like roadside construction, manufacturing and mining. We offer great savings and product selection for helping you maintain a safe and OSHA/ANSI compliant work environment.

Personal Safety Lites

Personal Safety Lites are perfect for a multitude of applications. Parents, use these lights to draw attention to children by wearing an armband or attaching directly to book bags, jackets, belts, bicycles or scooters. And adults can increase their visibility when walking, jogging or bicycling during low light or dark conditions.

Safety on the jobsite for construction workers and road crews, traffic control personnel, or for anyone who needs to be seen in low light or no light conditions is always an important issue. Personal Safety Lites are visible for a distance of approximately ½ mile, and over a mile in the right conditions.

Polycarbonate lenses are not scratch-resistant but are very difficult to break and will not shatter. The housing assembly is also made of a durable polymer to withstand damage.

LED’s have:
- Extended lifetime - most rated to 100,000 hours
- Energy savings in many applications
- Reduced heat output
- Brighter, more intense colors

The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard maintains that LED lights cannot be used in place of chemical flares for broken down vehicles, however, they can be used as supplemental warning devices “in addition to...the required warning devices*, provided those warning devices do not decrease the effectiveness of the required warning devices.” Required warning devices include three bi-directional emergency reflective triangles that conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 125, §571.125; or at least 6 fusees or 3 liquid burning-flares.

Personal Safety Lites can be attached to oversize loads or when used in traffic control applications. Construction companies and DOT flaggers use these lights in various applications and other environments requiring a highly visible signaling device.

Incident Command

The Incident Command System was originally established in California in response to natural disasters, and the complications of several agencies trying to cooperate to effectively cope with these disasters and save lives. A unified Incident Command eliminated structural and communication problems associated with agency cooperation during a national crisis.
Concepts of Incident Command include:
- Unity of Command
- Universal Terminology
- Management by Objective
- Flexible and Modular Organization
- Span-of-Control
Concepts were then integrated into the National Incident Management System (NIMS) in 2003.

NIMS is a comprehensive, national approach to incident management that is applicable at all jurisdictional levels and across functional disciplines. It is intended to:
- Be applicable across a full spectrum of potential incidents, hazards, and impacts, regardless of size, location or complexity
- Improve coordination and cooperation between public and private entities in a variety of incident management activities
- Provide a common standard for overall incident management
FEMA's NIMS Resource center details a:
- Five-Year NIMS Training Plan
- NRF Integrated Emergency Management Course (IEMC)
- NIMS Courses

Road Construction Across the Nation

ARRA By The Numbers

As of January 7, 2010:
- 1,125 bridges had been improved, replace or newly constructed
- 21,400 miles of pavement were either improved, resurfaced or widened
- 1,700 miles of safety traffic management projects were implemented
- Over 630 miles of bike lanes, sidewalks or environmental mitigation projects underway
- 7,450 buses have been purchased and 1,637 bus shelters constructed
Real People Are Working Real Jobs
- 280,000 direct, on-project jobs have been created or sustained across the country
- Total employment from these projects, which includes direct, indirect, and induced jobs, reaches almost 890,000 jobs.
Visit the Projects and Paychecks website.


Workzone Fatalities - Click image for downloadable pdf.

Secretary LaHood Announces Funding for Over 50 Innovative, Strategic Transportation Projects through Landmark Competitive TIGER Program

One year to the day after President Obama signed the historic American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) into law, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood will announce Recovery Act awards to states, tribal governments, cities, counties and transit agencies across the country to fund 51 innovative transportation projects. The U.S. Department of Transportation required rigorous economic justifications for projects more than $100 million and will require all recipients to report on their activities on a routine basis.

ASTM Standard Covers Sustainable Use of Recycled Asphalt Pavement

Developed by Subcommittee D18.14 on Geotechnics of Sustainable Construction, proposed standard ASTM WK26824 is an important step in guiding federal, state, and local highway agencies, contractors, material suppliers, and consultants on sustainable use of recycled asphalt pavement. According to Haifang Wen, Ph.D., use of recycled materials reduces need for virgin materials and disposal of existing materials and can protect the environment, reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.Click the image to go to the ASTM website.

HiVis In the News

Ronald Gary Taunton, a 20-year employee of East Alabama Paving in Opelika, died instantly after he was run over by a dump truck. Authorities believe Taunton was directing heavy equipment on a work site with the highway department when he apparently failed to move out from behind a Lee County truck as it was backing up. Authorities reported that Taunton was wearing his safety vest and the backup alarm on the truck was working properly.
The coroner said in a press release that the incident is being investigating “as an accident” by Auburn police, the coroner’s office and the Alabama Medical Examiner’s Office.

Comprehensive Safety Analysis
Starting in the summer of 2010, FMCSA will implement comprehensive safety analysis 2010 CSA 2010, which is designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of FMCSA’s enforcement and compliance program.

How Will This Change Affect Drivers?
* Unsafe carrier and driver behaviors that lead to crashes will be identified and addressed
* All safety-based roadside inspection violations will count, not just Out-of-Service (OOS) violations
* Drivers will be more accountable for safe on-road performance — good news for drivers with strong safety performance records





What can drivers do to prepare for the change?
1) Know and follow safety rules and regulations - CMV safe driving tips
2) Become knowledgeable about the new Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs) and how FMCSA will assess safety under CSA 2010
3) Keep copies of inspection reports
4) Learn about employers’ safety records
5) Visit the CSA 2010 website

Road Work Safety and Transportation - In the News

In the single worst economic time since the depression, job-loss reportings that are lower than expected become overall good news. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has estimated December 2009 job losses at 84,000, a little higher for the month than expected, but the Portland Cement Association (PCA) final quarter job loss predictions of 861,000 are far higher than actual 501,000 for the final quarter of 2009 as reported on Jan. 14th by Site Prep magazine.

The DOT’s Secretary LaHood said that the Obama administration’s approved $79 billion dollar budget promotes safety in a number of areas, starting with a new $50 million grant incentive program to the states to combat distracted driving. Since Secretary LaHood convened a national Distracted Driving Summit last fall, he has undertaken a nationwide campaign to put an end to the deadly epidemic.

More than half of U.S. highway fatalities are related to deficient roadway conditions – a substantially more lethal factor than drunk driving, speeding or non-use of safety belts – according to the Transportation and Construction Coalition (TCC) and the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE). Ten roadway-related crashes occur every minute (5.3 million a year) and also contribute to 38 percent of non-fatal injuries. The report also found that deficiencies in the roadway environment contributed to more than 22,000 fatalities and cost $217 billion annually.

Analysis of crash costs on a state-by-state basis.

The 10 states with the:

Highest total cost from crashes involving deficient road conditions are (alphabetically): Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.

Highest road-related crash costs per million vehicle miles of travel are: Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Highest road-related crash costs per mile of road are: California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and South Carolina.