Tag: safety: Page 57

Roadbuilding

Robotic mowers trim embankments on Illinois Tollway

Illinois Tollway workers have begun using a robotic mower to trim embankments along the Illinois Tollway, according to a report from the Chicago Tribune. The $42,000 Spider ILDO2 — the same mower the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) began using earlier this summer — is capable of climbing 40-degree slopes and ditches, preventing injuries that […]

August 14, 2013

Roadbuilding

Who Cares About Safety?

If safety is such an important jobsite concern, why aren’t fatal accident numbers dropping for road contractors? According to a survey from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, the number of deadly jobsite accidents increased from 110 in 2003 to 119 in 2011. There were some deadlier years […]

August 12, 2013

Roadbuilding

Texas adds TxDOT protection to Move Over/Slow Down law

Beginning September 1, drivers in Texas will be required to move over or slow down when approaching Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) workers and vehicles that are stopped with overhead flashing blue or amber lights. That’s because the state has expanded its Move Over/Slow Down law to provide protection to TxDOT workers. The law traditionally […]

August 9, 2013

Roadbuilding

Whose trains are safer: Europe or USA?

It’s lies, damned lies and statistics again. This time the question, arising after the recent high-fatality (79) Spanish high-speed rail disaster, is about whether Europe’s trains are safer than ours. In this report we lose, but the numbers are not as simple as they seem as you can see. I raise the question because the […]

August 8, 2013

Safety

Train crashes into construction equipment as crew scrambles out of the way

This video is a few years old, but its quickness and shock value haven’t diminished. The footage is from a mounted camera inside a train and shows as it attempts to quickly brake as a construction crew and a few machines appear out of the fog after rounding a bend. You can see a few […]

August 1, 2013

Safety

OSHA to hold safety seminar for Hispanic construction workers

Federal OSHA officials have announced a Hispanic-specific safety fair for construction workers to be held in Duluth, Georgia on Sunday. The event will take place at the Santa Fe mall and will include workshops, discussions and Spanish language publications. The event is being co-sponsored by the Georgia Hispanic Construction Association. We applaud the idea and […]

July 25, 2013

Business

Flash, bang: Explosion at NYC hotel caused by worker who opted for blowtorch over flashlight

In the scheme of safety fails, you could safely say this move wasn’t too bright. Sources told CBS News that the explosion that rocked the Viceroy Hotel in Midtown Manhattan Thursday was caused by a construction worker who decided to use a blowtorch instead of a flashlight. The worker was apparently trying to find a […]

July 22, 2013

Safety

These vintage Dutch safety posters illustrate the jobsite and shop as the lairs of lurking monsters

On his 50 Watts blog, Will Schofield recently featured a ton of great vintage safety posters spanning 50 years from the Netherlands. The posters were created by some very talented Dutch artists and were quite beautiful and creative ways to remind workers of the dangers of the jobsite and shop. Below you’ll see several of […]

July 17, 2013

Roadbuilding

MnDOT implements statistic-based signs to encourage safe driving

The Minnesota Departments of Transportation (MnDOT) and Public Safety (DPS) yesterday launched 150 digital message signs in an effort to reinforce safe driving habits. The statistic-based signs, located above freeways throughout the state, feature messages that encourage seat belt use, driving sober and at safe speeds and paying attention behind the wheel. “Using these high-profile […]

July 16, 2013

Roadbuilding

Automakers, NHTSA focus on pedestrian safety

Honda, Volvo and General Motors are working to design changes to make their vehicles safer for pedestrians, according to a report from The Japan Times. Among those changes are breakaway wipers, hoods designed to absorb impact energy and exterior air bags designed to keep a pedestrian’s head from hitting the windshield. The number of pedestrians […]

July 3, 2013

Roadbuilding

ARTBA reminds motorists to drive carefully in construction zones during July 4 holiday

The upcoming Independence Day holiday will likely bring more traffic to the roadways. And with highway construction season in full swing, safety is a top priority. That’s why the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) is reminding drivers to stay alert and slow down in construction zones this holiday. It’s also important to remember […]

July 1, 2013

Roadbuilding

66,000 U.S. bridges classified as deficient in 2013

Following Transportation for America’s release of a report stating that one in nine bridges is classified as structurally deficient, CNN Money has created an interactive map to demonstrate the amount of deficient bridges in each state in 2013. According to CNN Money’s report, the average lifespan of a bridge in the U.S. is 50 years. […]

June 24, 2013