Safety Crackdown - Buzzed and Impaired Driving

Today, texting while driving is getting all of the attention on America's roadways. States are implementing laws and associations are trying to change the way we think about cell-phone use in general. But a major concern for the nation's drivers and road workers is still buzzed and impaired driving, and if you plan to hit the road this summer, know that enforcement officers ARE out there and they WILL find you. 

Impaired driving continues to be one of the deadliest crimes in America. In 2008, there were 11,773 deaths due to alcohol - nearly 1/3 of all traffic fatalities in the US. These drivers all had blood alcohol levels of .08 or higher. This means there was an average of one alcohol-impaired-driving fatality every 45 minutes. Thankfully, that number is down from 13,041 in 2007 - but it's not enough.  

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has formed a national strategy to stop impaired driving and created programs across the United States that aid motorists in the reporting of impaired drivers to law enforcement. You will notice an increasing amount of officers patrolling with increased prosecution for offenders.

HiVis Supply would like to remind all drivers and road workers out there that safety is important to us all, because at the end of the day, especially during vacation, getting home to our loved ones is what's important. HiVis is dedicated to keeping road workers safe by providing hi-visibility products and gear that get people noticed and keep them safe. Have a great summer, and stay safe.

Hi-Vis for Gulf Oil Spill Response

Use of hi-visibility clothing has been readily evident with gulf oil spill workers and clean-up crew in response to the BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster back in April. Since then, environmental clean-up, contaminated water and Florida, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana shoreline workers have been tasked to alleviate all signs of the oil spill from contaminated beaches and coastal waterways, and posting beach closure signs, oil spill clean-up signs, no water contact signs and oil spill response signs.

Hi-visibility gear allows workers to be seen even in low-light conditions as crews work in the early morning hours and well into the night often in very bright and dangerous conditions. The use of hi-reflectivity gear also denotes workers from civilians and allows managers to keep tabs on their employees.

HiVis Supply salutes these men and women who are working diligently around the clock to help wildlife survive this catastrophe and ease the burden on our precious coastal ecosystems. There is no way to determine at this time how long the BP oil spill will contaminate our environment, close our beaches and shut down water operations, or to what degree the 2010 oil spill will affect our lives in the years to come. Only time will tell, and we’re here to help.

ANSI 207 HiVis for Public Safety

Use of the term Public safety organization reasonably implies that the organization is composed of law enforcement or public safety personnel. Terms used to describe these occupations usually include officer, peace officer, police officer, police, law enforcement, reserve officer, deputy, deputy sheriff, constable, deputy constable, fireman, firefighter, volunteer fireman and/or emergency medical service provider, paramedics and search and rescue workers.

US federal law states that all personnel working on a highway that is eligible for federal funds to wear a hi-vis vest starting on November 25, 2008. Firefighters are excluded while engaged in firefighting activities or hazardous materials (hazmat) situations. Otherwise, hi-visibility clothing must be worn. Also, paramedics and police officers not engaged in law enforcement activities are required by law to wear high visibility clothing.

In 2006, ANSI released the 207-2006, or American National Standard for High-Visibility Public Safety Vests, in response to issues raised by public safety officials with respect to the ANSI 107 vest design. Their concerns were both tactical and influenced by a need to differentiate between law enforcement/emergency personnel and the vests worn by construction workers. The changes have different requirements for fluorescent background material, specifically allowing for a shorter design that allows equipment belt access. It also includes many optional features, such as a 5-point breakaway design for easy removal, panels readily identifying the wearer as an emergency responder, and radio and badge pockets/holders.

These vests features an upper mesh, color coded fabric for proper public service department identification along with a hi-vis solid fabric bottom. Each vest includes: left chest mic tab, pencil pocket and inside large lower patch pocket. Breakaway shoulders and sides with tear away zipper front closure. The vest folds into the large inside pocket to become a self enclosed pouch for storage. The vests also offers 4-season adjustability to accomodate bulky coats. Available in sizes M/XL and 2XL/4XL.

HiVis Supply is a reseller of high visibility apparel including: ANSI approved clothing, safety vests, traffic vests, hivis vests, ANSI Class 2, ANSI Class 3, ANSI 107-2004, ANSI 207, ANSI Class E, public safety vests, incident command vests, specialty vests, survey vests, safety pants, high visibility t-shirts, high visibility jackets, sweatshirts, coats, windbreakers and rainwear.

Road Construction and Workzone Hazards

Highway crews routinely work in hazardous conditions, near construction vehicles and motor vehicle traffic. Flaggers and other workers on foot are exposed to the risk of being struck by traffic vehicles or construction equipment if they are not visible to motorists or equipment operators. Drivers who operate construction vehicles or equipment risk collision, rolling, and being caught in running equipment. Regardless of their assigned job, lighting can be poor with low visibility and bad weather, and exposure to high traffic congestion and speeds is imminent.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHA) has developed and maintained the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which provides for uniform design and setup of highway work zones. The primary focus of Part 6 of the MUTCD is the interaction between the road user and the work zone. The MUTCD contains exhaustive specifications for signage, pavement and curb markings, traffic signals, and marking of school zones, bicycle facilities and highway-rail crossings. It outlines temporary traffic control measures for lane closures and shifts, detours, shoulder work, median crossovers, mobile operations, and blasting. The MUTCD also addresses topics such as training, personal protective equipment (PPE), speed reduction, barriers, and lighting, as they apply to highway construction. It also provides for uniform design and setup of highway work zones, and includes guidance for the development of temporary traffic control plans (TCPs) that determine the flow of traffic through work zones.

OSHA construction industry regulations address operation of vehicles and equipment within an off-highway job site not open to public traffic. It does cover types of machinery and safety equipment, but it does not address work practices, traffic control plans, or shift work. Flagging and signaling practices are discussed in general which also covers signs, signals, and barricades.

Compliance with the MUTCD and OSHA regulations is a necessary first step in providing a safe work environment, but lacks comprehensive guidance to ensure worker safety in highway work zones. To help identify these gaps in standards and regulations and to compile additional prevention measures to enhance worker safety, NIOSH undertook a comprehensive review of scientific literature, fatality and injury data, and current safety research.

Between OSHA, MUTCD and NIOSH standards and guidelines, a properly defensed workzone can often seem a daunting task. At HiVis Supply, we offer high visibility apparel and safety vests for the worker and traffic control devices for the workzone that can ensure a safe environment for those men and women paving the way for us all.

Roll-Up Construction Signs

MUTCD Standard:
The needs and control of all road users (motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians within the highway, including persons with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), Title II, Paragragh 35.130) through a TTC (temporary traffic control) zone shall be an essential part of highway construction, utility work, maintenance operations, and the management of traffic incidents.
CONSTRUCTION signs are orange diamonds specifically used only to WARN drivers about construction and work zone activity.
Quick to set up and highly visible, roll-up signs provide temporary warning along roads, danger areas, and construction sites. Easy to take down and roll up for compact storage and portability.
Constructed of lightweight, flexible fabric, these safety-orange signs have contrasting black messages and symbols from the Standard Highway Signs Manual, as specified in the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). They provide temporary warnings of roadway changes and hazards ahead.
These diamond shaped signs are available each in 36" x 36" or 48" x 48" in three fabrics:
• Non-Reflective Mesh is PVC extruded over polyster strands, ideal for daytime applications.
• Fluorescent Vinyl is non-reflective fabric-reinforced, UV stable vinyl with bright fluorescence for daytime use only.
• Reflective Vinyl is high-intesity, retro-reflective sheeting bonded to vinyl-coated, fiber-reinforced nylon fabric, ideal for attention-getting and low-light conditions.
For these and other available traffic, roadside workzone devices, and all of your hi-visibility needs, visit hivissupply.com.

School Crossing Guards

Safety is an important issue for everyone, but an often overlooked occupation where workers put their lives on the line every day - well, one every school day - is the often un-noticed, and under-appreciated, school crossing guard.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) defines a crossing guard as someone who directs traffic (both pedestrian and vehicular) on streets, at schools, and at railroad crossings and construction sites. In 2007, there were an estimated 70,000 school crossing guards employed nationally, and in the years between 1993 to 2006, there were 97 school crossing guard fatalities, or almost 7 a year. This may not seem like a lot of deaths, but these men and women put their lives on the line each day to keep our children safe.

Additionally, the state of Florida reports that in 2006, 39% of all 16 and under pedestrian fatalities occurred between 3 and 7 pm. Of the 516 fatalities, 104, or (20%) were pedestrians - usually children. In an effort to lower these numbers, the state trains crossing guards to:
• Use proper crossing techniques consistently
• Encourage patterns of proper crossing behavior by students
• Deter students from committing unsafe/unlawful acts
• Recognize and report hazardous conditions
• Take proper actions in an emergency
• Know their responsibilities and limitations of authority
• Exhibit professionalism and instill confidence
• Earn students’ respect

In a New Jersey report, other factors attributing to motor-vehicle related injuries include among school crossing guards include:
• Unsafe driving
• Parents rushing to and through the school zone
• Distracted driving including cell phones, eating, drinking and smoking

As parents, let's respect school crossing guards, the men and women who serve our children every day and make sure they get to cross the street safely. As drivers, let's start paying attention to school zones, and wait to send that text message, or wait to eat the fast food when we get home.

For more information checkout this pdf from the state of New Jersey
Or this pdf from the state of Florida

At HiVis Supply, we are proud to resell high visibility apparel including incident command vests, safety vests, and traffic vests, as well as traffic safety accessories and ANSI compliant vests for crossing guards, pedestrian crossing and speed limit signs.

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.