Utility Work Zone Safety Guidelines and Training: State-of-the-Art Synthesis and State-of-the-Practice Synthesis

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Utility work zones pose unique challenges to the motorist as well as to the workers health and safety. Utility service providers such as the electric, gas, telephone and cable companies often need to work on or near public highways providing essential services to the public at large. Most of their work activities typically require less time as compared to roadway construction and maintenance activities, and are generally completed in a timely manner. It is often impractical for a utility company to create detailed, site-specific work zone plans for each and every work zone they work in. The utility companies and their contractors, therefore, must follow policies, procedures and safety standards for work zone traffic control that incorporate desirable safety and mobility guidelines and standards and follow their intent to ensure the safety of the motorists and workers alone.

The federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) (1) contains the basic principles of design and the use of traffic control devices for all streets and highways. Part 6 of the MUTCD contains the standards, guidance, options, and support information related to work zones. In work zones, temporary traffic control is primarily used to enhance traffic safety and mobility. As stated in Part 6 of the MUTCD, “the primary function of temporary traffic control is to provide for the safe and efficient movement of vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians through or around temporary traffic control zones while reasonably protecting workers and equipment” (1). The MUTCD includes ‘Typical Applications’ for a variety of street and highway work zone situations commonly encountered by road users. These provide detailed schematics and depict examples of recommended advanced traffic control warning signs, tapers for lane transitions, buffer space, temporary channelizing devices (such as cones drums, traffic barriers), and pavement markings. However, the MUTCD does indicate that such procedures be used for establishing traffic control devices to satisfy actual field conditions, as they may vary drastically from the condition illustrated in the ‘typicals’ with such conditions as: road configuration, location of work, work activity, duration of work, traffic volumes, and traffic speeds. In such cases, MUTCD recommends that the ‘typicals’/guidelines be applied/adjusted to actual situations and field conditions using proper judgment (1). Many professionals and regulatory agencies misinterpret the MUTCD’s ‘typicals’ and think that they must be used in all circumstances.

The MUTCD (Part 6) provides comprehensive information related to roadway construction-related traffic control. The research that provides the background for the MUTCD rarely involves utility work zones. The manual, however, recognizes the transient nature of utility work and differentiates between the shorter duration of work by providing a certain amount of flexibility for the typical temporary traffic control for a given situation. Work duration is a major factor in determining the number and types of devices used in temporary traffic control zones (1).

Work zones often contain a sign at the beginning of the work zone informing drivers that a work zone is beginning and another sign at the end letting drivers know that the work zone has ended. Utility work zones may not always contain these signs since they are shorter in duration and may be mobile. The MUTCD gives a definition of construction, maintenance and utility work zones stating that they may be defined by signs at the beginning and end of the work zones, but they may also be defined by providing rotating lights or strobe lights. According to the MUTCD, “A work zone is an area of a highway with construction, maintenance, or utility work activities. A work zone is typically marked by signs, channelizing devices, barriers, pavement markings, and/or work vehicles. It extends from the first warning sign or high-intensity rotating, flashing, oscillating, or strobe lights on a vehicle to the END ROAD WORK sign or the last TTC device.” (1)

The US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration has established a ‘Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule’ (2), which is applicable to all state and local governments that receive highway funds. It supports a three-tiered approach to work zone mobility and safety, which includes an overall policy for management of work zone impacts, agency-level processes and procedures to implement the work zone policy, and project-level procedures to assess and manage work zone impacts. The first component of the Rule promotes the use of decision-making framework and targeted strategies to address a wide range of safety and mobility impacts in work zones throughout the project development stages. The second component requires agencies to develop an agency-level work zone safety and mobility policy utilizing the work zone safety and operational data, personnel training, and process reviews to assess and manage the impacts of all project stages based on standard procedures adopted by the agency. The third component includes the identification of ‘significant projects’ and requires that the transportation management plans consist of a Temporary Traffic Control Plan, Transportation Operational Strategies and Public Information components. (2)

Researchers from Wayne State University and Bradley University received a grant from the Federal Highway Administration to develop safety and mobility guidelines for utility work zone traffic control. The overall objectives of this grant are to 1) develop utility work zone safety guidelines to assist transportation agencies, utility companies and contractors in achieving reductions in injuries and fatalities while complying with FHWA’s ‘Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule’, 2) develop a training program based on the developed utility work zone safety and mobility guidelines and 3) conduct ‘train-the-trainer’ workshops at a national level and pilot training sessions on the methods and procedures of implementing utility work zone safety guidelines developed as a part of this project.

In order to accomplish the grant objectives, a comprehensive state-of-the-art review and a current practice survey have been conducted. This document presents the findings from the state-of-the-art literature review and the current practices survey. The basic purpose of the literature review and current practices survey is to determine the current knowledge of issues pertaining to utility work zone safety and mobility, assess the current state of practice among the transportation agencies and utility companies/contractors. Establishing the current state of knowledge related to utility work zones will allow the identification of gaps that need to be addressed in the utility work zone guidelines. The guidelines developed as a part of this project will provide local transportation agencies and utility companies and contractors with the needed information and guidance to perform their work on and around roads and streets safely and efficiently and to assist road agencies in the development of local guidelines and standards that will meet the safety and mobility goals of the utility work zones.

Last modified 9/17/2007

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