ATSSA/FHWA Work Zone Safety Grant FOCUS - February 2007
AREA 1: Highway Work Zone Worker Safety Training
AREA 2. The Highway Work Zone Safety Guidelines Development Update
AREA 3: Highway Work Zone Safety Guidelines Training
ATSSA's Work Zone Safety Grant Newsletter
The American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) was awarded a four-year, $11.9 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in 2006 to provide roadway safety training nationwide for workers and others who make their livelihood on America’s roadways.
Initial training efforts will focus on 16 specific states that have been identified by the FHWA as having opportunities to make significant progress toward national road safety goals.
“America’s roads have never been safer,” said Federal Highway Administrator J. Richard Capka, “but highway work zone accidents continue to increase. Safety is our top priority, and safety training programs like this will do much to protect construction crews in every state.”
Under the requirements of the grant, ATSSA will perform tasks in highway work zone worker safety training, highway work zone safety guidelines development, and highway work zone safety guidelines
training areas. The training component of the grant is comprised of a wide variety of courses that includes training for traffic control technicians, traffic control supervisors, designers, roadway flaggers, emergency responders (police, fire, EMS 
and towing), and utility workers. Recipients of the training will be state and local public officials, contractors and others.
For up-to-date information on the Work Zone Safety Training Grant, visit ATSSA.com or e-mail the Director of Training, Donna Clark, at DonnaC@atssa.com.
Work Zone Safety Grant Information
OBJECTIVES
The objective of the Work Zone Safety Grant Program is to develop guidelines and provide training to improve highway work zone safety.
STATEMENT OF WORK
ATSSA shall perform tasks within the following work areas: Highway Work Zone Worker Safety Training; Highway Work Zone Safety Guidelines Development; and Highway Work Zone Safety Guidelines Training.
AREA 1: Highway Work Zone Worker Safety Training
The Work Zone Safety Grant will provide much needed funding for the continuation and expansion of existing training programs, and for the development of new training programs. The objective for this area is to award funding to qualified applicants to conduct training nationally for a wide range of work zone worker populations to prevent injuries and fatalities in highway and roadway work zones. ATSSA will:
- Establish national level training programs that will provide safety training for one or more worker groups. The training program should cover multiple regions/States. Activities for this task may include, but are not limited to, identifying gaps and needs, selecting/developing training curriculums and materials, and recruiting trainees. The trainees should include workers and employers of private sector, and workers and supervisors of public agencies.
- Implement and conduct the worker safetytraining program.
- Develop and carry out an outreach plan for the training courses.
- Develop a training evaluation plan, and conduct evaluation of effectiveness of the training offered.
The FHWA anticipates that the grants be used to provide training for the following highway work zone
worker groups on elimination of major occupational safety and health hazards posed to work zone workers for injuries, fatalities, and health problems:
- Safety training for “craft” workers and other related disciplines involved in highway and road survey, construction, and maintenance activities;
- Safety training for work zone traffic control workers, including those who set up traffic control and worker protection devices and those who direct traffic in a work zone;
- Safety training for utility workers who perform utility work activities that result in partial or full closure of a roadway;
- Safety training for highway work zone law enforcement personnel and responders to work zone incidents.
ATSSA will begin offering the following courses to qualified applicants beginning Oct. 1:
- What Every Supervisor Should Know
- Traffic Control Technician
- Traffic Control Supervisor
- Flagger – Train the Trainer
- Design and Operation of Nighttime Temporary Traffic Control in Work Zones
- Emergency Traffic Control for Emergency Responders
- Safe and Effective Use of Law Enforcement Personnel in Work Zone
- Utility Operations
AREA 2. The Highway Work Zone Safety Guidelines Development
The objective of Area 2 is to develop guidelines that will assist state and local government transportation agencies and other groups achieve the prevention and reduction of work zone injuries and fatalities by implementing and attaining compliance with work zone safety and operations rules/regulations, policies, and standards.
ATSSA will develop guidelines on a national scale that can be adapted/customized to a state or local application. ATSSA may develop guidelines in a format of best practices, a handbook, and/or recommended processes and procedures. Guidelines should address work zone safety and operations issues and practices of importance to practitioners and the Federal Highway Administration. In addition, the guideline or set of guidelines developed for each of the strategies should cover all elements of a construction project including, but not limited to, work zone planning and programming, work zone design and construction, work zone safety design and management, work zone impact assessment and mitigation, work zone law enforcement, and work zone public information and outreach.
ATSSA will perform the following tasks:
- Identify federal, state, and local work zone regulations and policies, as well as available
guidelines - Identify and assess gaps and needs for work zone safety guidelines
- Identify intended users/audiences for the developed guidelines
- Develop guidelines according to the needs identified, which will assist agencies and
groups towards the prevention and reduction of work zone injuries and fatalities - Develop an outreach plan and materials to promote the use of developed guidelines
- Develop a training plan and materials for the training on implementing the developed
guidelines - Develop an evaluation plan for evaluating the effectiveness of developed guidelines and
training activities
Details on the subject areas will be highlighted in the next issue of FOCUS.
AREA 3: Highway Work Zone Safety Guidelines Training
The objective of this area is to provide training to state and local transportation agencies and other transportation groups/organizations on implementing work zone safety guidelines, and to promote best practices to prevent work zone injuries and fatalities. ATSSA will focus on training for implementing existing Federal and/or state regulations, policies, standards, and guidelines for Traffic Control Design Specialist, Urban Work Zone Design, Work Zone Strategies, Analytical Tools for Work Zone Planning, and Pedestrian and Bicycle Considerations in Work Zones.
ATSSA will perform the following tasks:
- Establish national work zone safety guideline training programs by identifying and assessing gaps and needs, selecting and/or developing training curriculums and materials, as well as identifying and recruiting trainees.
- Implement the training programs to conduct work zone safety guideline training.
- Develop and carry out an outreach plan for the training activities and courses.
- Develop a training evaluation plan and conduct evaluation of the effectiveness of the training
offered.
Posted: 10/8/2008
Categories: Training | Work Zone Safety | Work Zone Traffic Control | Worker Safety | FHWA Work Zone Safety Grant ProgramDid you choose not to download this program? Will you please take a moment to tell us why?
