Highway Work Zone Safety Audit Guidelines Development and Training

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Highway Work Zone Safety Audit Guidelines Development and Training

- Updating, January 2009

Illinois Institute of Technology logo

Prepared By:

Jonathan Shi, PI
Dept. of Civil & Architectural Engineering
Illinois Institute of Technology
3201 S. Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60616
Phone: (312) 567-3630
Fax: (312) 567-3519
Email: shi@iit.edu or jshi3@unl.edu

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Other Key Staff

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Progress, to December 2008

  1. Submitted three reports: Literature Review Report, Dan Ryan Reconstruction Case Study Report, and Work Zone Safety Audit Questionnaire Survey Report.
  2. Sponsored and observed two WZSA case studies in Illinois
  3. Guidelines development
  4. GOOGLE-Earth based tool for assisting work zone safety audit
  5. Preparation of training materials at Utah-LTAP
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1. Three submitted reports

  • Literature Review (100 pages)
  • Dan Ryan Reconstruction Case Study (30 pages)
  • Work Zone Safety Audit Questionnaire Survey Report (40 pages)
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1a. Literature Review

  • Chapter 1 - Introduction to the scope and objectives of the literature review, and review methodology.
  • Chapter 2 - Review on the Rule on work zone safety and mobility, guideline for the rule implementation, and states’ compliance.
  • Chapter 3 - Review on work zone guidelines, manuals, and best practices in use by state transportation agencies.
  • Chapter 4 - Summary of RSA methodologies and practices with an emphasis on construction stage application.
  • Chapter 5 - Focus on relevant documents on construction worker safety.
  • Chapter 6 - Review on existing training programs including work zone and construction worker safety.
  • Chapter 7 – Summary of the report. 

Pictures of a work zone and a freeway

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1b. Dan Ryan Case Study Report

  • Chapter 1 - Introduction
  • Chapter 2 - Background of The Dan Ryan Expressway
  • Chapter 3 - Work Zone Safety manuals, Guidelines, and programs
  • Chapter 4 - Major Parties and their Responsibilities
  • Chapter 5 - Worker Safety 
    Chapter 6 - Dan Ryan Mobility Impact analysis
  • Chapter 7 - Conclusions and Recommendations  

  



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1c. Key Survey Findings

  • Leading causes of work zone safety problems:
    • inadequate work zone setup (40%), inadequate pre-construction planning (36%),
    • deficient work zone speed enforcement (35%), and inadequate or inefficient temporary traffic controls (34%).
  • Effective measures for improving work zone safety:
    • periodic work zone safety review or inspection (74%),
    • public outreach and education (64%), and
    • innovative contracting methods (56%).
  • Audit team members:
    • State transportation agencies (89%), FHWA (76%), highway contractors (75%),
    • Law enforcement personnel (62%), Local government agencies (55%).
  • Funding sources for work zone safety audits:
    • FHWA (44%), State transportation agencies (26%), and Project budget (14%).
  • Suitable projects for safety audits:
    • Major (95%) , Minor (82%), Minimal (71%)
  • 80% respondents recommended to consider worker safety inside the construction area.
    • review of construction workers’ safety training records and safety inspection records.
    • 60%respondents favor the contractor to submit worker injury data to the project owner.
  • Adequate safety training for all project personnel.
  • Computer-based tools can assist the audit team.
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2a. WZSA Case Study – I55

  • A joint effort btw IDOT & FHWAPicture of a work zone
  • WZ selected in April 2007
  • Audit team formed in May with 4 RSA auditors: 2 from IDOT, 1 from FHWA, and 1 from IST.
  • 5 observers, 2 from FHWA (Dr. Oliver & Umbs), 3 from IIT.
  • Project plans were mailed to the auditors and observers 2 weeks prior to the audit.
  • The audit took place during July 30 and 31, 2007.
Map showing the case study on S. Veteran's PkwySLIDE 9

2b. Case Study – Veterans

Conducted:
Sept. 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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3. Guidelines Development

  • A draft of the entire guideline is completed.
  • The guideline and the field manual at the
    construction stage have been reviewed.
  • The entire document will be ready for external review and comments in March 2009.
  • More case studies will follow.
  • Volunteers are solicited for review and case studies.
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Structure of the Guidelines

  • PART I: FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF WORK ZONE SAFETY AUDITS
  • Chapter 1: Introduction
  • Chapter 2: Overview of Work Zone Safety Audits
  • Chapter 3: Implementation of Work Zone Safety Audits
  • Chapter 4: Conducting work zone safety Audits in the Pre-Construction phase
  • Chapter 5: Conducting Work Zone Safety Audits in the Construction Phase
  • Chapter 6: Conducting Work Zone Assessment in the Post-Construction phase
  • Chapter 7: References
  • PART II. FIELD MANUALS FOR CONDUCTING WORK ZONE SAFETY AUDITS
  • Field Manual for Conducting work zone safety Audits in the Pre-Construction Phase
  • Field Manual for Conducting work zone safety Audits in the Construction Phase
  • III. Field Manual for Conducting Work Zone Assessment in the Post-Construction Phase
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What is WZSA?

  • Work zone safety audits (WZSAs) adapt the RSA concept and emphasize work zone
    planning and management in order to mitigate work zone safety and mobility impacts on road users, affected communities and businesses, and construction workers.
  • WZSA is different from RSA
  • WZSA is different from work zone safety inspection/reviews
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Audit Process

Step 1: Identify candidate project and contact person
                                                     Down arrow Step 2: Select an audit team and team leader
                                                     Down arrow
Step 3: Conduct pre-audit review
                                                     Down arrow
Step 4: Hold formal audit meetings with the key parties
                                                     Down arrow
Step 5: Conduct audit inspections
                                                     Down arrow
Step 6: Perform audit analyses
                                                     Down arrow
Step 7: Present audit findings and recommendations
                                                     Down arrow
Step 8: Report on findings and Implementation

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Essential Materials for Auditing

  • Project plan/design/specifications
  • Work zone impacts assessment
  • Transportation management plan (TMP)
  • Site inspections
  • Inputs of the project key parties

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Typical Audit Timeline

Audit timeline step by step details

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Field Manual

  1. Project Background
  2. Transportation Operations (TO)
  3. Public Information (PI)
  4. Traffic Control Strategies
  5. Sample Questions for the Project Owner
  6. Sample Questions for the Design Team
  7. Sample Questions for the Contractor
  8. Questions for the Traffic Control Team
  9. Inspecting Work Zone Conditions
  10. Traffic Control Devices
  11. Inspecting the Activity Area and Worker Safety
  12. Work Zone Safety and Mobility Performance

SLIDE 17Screenshot of Google Earth

4. Google-Earth WZ Tool

  • Three major components are integrated into Google Earth:
    • Road Information Database
    • Detailed Crash Database
    • QuickZone
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4a. Study Trans Network

Scrrenshot of a Google Earth close-up

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4b. Analyze Crash History

Screenshot of Google Earth showing crash locations.

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4c. Assess WZ Impacts

Screenshot of an Excel chart showing temporary distribution of out-bound demand

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5. Activity at Utah-LTAP

  • The Utah LTAP has developed a computer software tool for conducting RSAs outside of the grant.
  • The team is now investigating the possibility of expanding the features of the tool for assisting
    WZSAs.
  • The project team is planning to use the tool for a WZSA case study in Utah during May and June 2009.

Last modified: 2/13/2009

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