Highways Agency

Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers

Background and context

The HA operate one of the busiest high-speed road networks in the world.

The HA network is one of the safest in the world.

In 2005 we had 5 road worker fatalities on our network. All were caused through operatives being struck by third party vehicles. We had 12 major injuries. We had 29 injuries causing absence from work for over three days.

The level of fatal incidents is more than twice that of any of the last five years.

In 2005, keeping the network open and safe became one of the most dangerous occupations in Great Britain.

The figures speak for themselves, but what about the... family, friend's colleagues, and relatives...

the situation is unacceptable. The Highways Agency and its partners must work together to improve road worker safety.

What can we do to improve road worker safety?

• Change our approach
• Raise the profile of road workers
• Educate the road users

The Agent's View

Area 9 AmeyMouchel

• 1000 lane 2 or 3 closures a year
• Equivalent to 10,000 road crossings

England

• 100,000 road crossings a year
• Each carried out by two men

How can we improve road worker safety?

Reduce road workers exposure to live traffic and lessen the risks to road workers when on the network.

Highlight the importance of road workers and their safety to the public by raising awareness and the industry consistently maintaining the highest standards.

Improve road user awareness and responses by improving driver education.

 

Where do we want to get to?

In the short term we must get a reasonable balance between the needs of the road user and the safety of road workers using a risk based approach.

The long-term aim should be to plan future improvements that make the working environment safer i.e. Design for maintenance/operation. This has the added benefits of whole-life cost savings, less interventions and less congestion.

What are we doing?

Carrying out an urgent review of operations that require road workers to be exposed to live traffic with a view to reducing the risks and change the requirements to have signs in the central reserve which require the crossing of live carriageways.

Introducing more targeted speed limits at roadworks, which can be altered to match the safety requirements. This will be combined with increased use of average speed detection equipment and other methods of influencing road users to drive safety.

Improving accuracy and content of variable message signs to give clearer messages to road users about road works and the presence of road workers. Requiring more use of vehicle-activated signs that warn drivers that they are exceeding the speed limit.

Producing proposals for improved training for workers on high-speed roads and agree requirements for appropriate training for all workers on the Highways Agency's network.

Developing proposals with industry for more publicity to promote better driver awareness and support improved driver education.

With industry, developing an incident and near miss reporting call centre to support the ongoing improvements in data collection, analysis, learning and publicity.

Road Worker Safety Strategy Action Plan

What have we done?

 

Highlighted road worker safety issues with suppliers and key stakeholders.

Started a review of high-risk operations with suppliers to reduce the risks to road workers.

Included messages about driving safely at road works in the revised Highway Code.

Surveyed road users to gain their views on driving through road works to better understand road user perceptions, which will enable targeted education.

Improved use of VMS signing to improve accuracy and use.

 

Used average speed enforcement at road works to improve compliance with speed limits.

Instructed a dynamic risk based approach to safety fence repairs to reduce road worker exposure to live traffic.

Supported development of mechanised cone laying technology at road works to reduce road worker exposure to live traffic.

 

Organised workshops and seminars with road designers to encourage better designs, which will improve road worker safety.

Investigated and disseminated best practice in media handling of road works information to improve the coverage and reporting.

 

The Highways Agency cannot make this change alone.

We need continued commitment from our industry partners from the boardroom to the road worker to make it happen.