It is the season of picnics and vacations. The season of no school and family reunions. The season of long days at the pool and camping. In addition to all of the relaxing things that go on every summer, though, in many parts of the country this is also the season for repairing roads. And while many places have mild enough weather that it may seem it is always road construction season, you only need to take a cross country road trip to realize that during the months of June, July, and August to realize that road construction is in high gear.
At the same time that many Americans are relaxing and enjoying the fun days of summer, entire fleets of workers are doing their jobs so that the roads, bridges, and interstates are available for future travel. Unfortunately, these workers can find themselves in danger when they are working alongside some of the most well traveled roads in America. Hopefully, however, through the use of high visibility workwear these road construction employees will remain safe while they go about the job of fixing and building America’s roads.
More Road Work Means That More Workers Will Line the Streets, Highways, and Interstates
A plan that will supposedly be released by the new Presidential administration this week could mean that the country will begin the expensive and necessary process of addressing road problems throughout America. In a New York Times article the President is expected to announce that he will provide incentives, but will expect cities, states, and private businesses to help rebuild the failing infrastructure across the country.
The need for road and bridge repair across the country is mounting and while the new President’s plan for boosting the economy while at the same time asking many agencies and private corporations, one thing that will not change in the road construction industry is the continued concern for the safety of the workers. Although a number of industry standards are in place to keep these workers safe, one of the least expensive and perhaps most effective methods of protection is the continued use of high visibility workwear.
Consider some of these items of high visibility workwear that construction crews rely on to make their jobs safer and, at the same time, more visible to both the long distance and short distance travelers:
- high visibility winter jackets
- high visibility t shirts
- reflective button up shirts
- cargo work pants with reflective tape
- custom reflective jackets
- orange safety vests
Nearly 33% of nonfatal work injuries in the year 2013 that required time away were suffered by employees with less than one year of service. In comparison, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that the workers who are 65 years and older experienced 94.2 injuries per 10,000 full-time employees. In fact, these more experienced workers had an injury percentage less than any age group in the year 2014. A combination of wearing the proper clothing to increase visibility, having experience with working in high traffic areas, and the drivers in this country staying alert can make this construction season a safer one.
