Skip to main content

ARTBA presents transport safety awards

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s Transportation Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF) has presented awards to five separate industry initiatives. These were highlighted for commitment to promoting safety during the association’s 17th annual Roadway Work Zone Safety Awareness Awards held recently at a luncheon during ARTBA’s National Convention in Philadelphia. The competition recognises outstanding programmes, campaigns and technologies aimed at helping reduce roadway work zone a
October 1, 2015 Read time: 5 mins
The 920 American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s Transportation Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF) has presented awards to five separate industry initiatives. These were highlighted for commitment to promoting safety during the association’s 17th annual Roadway Work Zone Safety Awareness Awards held recently at a luncheon during ARTBA’s National Convention in Philadelphia.  
 
The competition recognises outstanding programmes, campaigns and technologies aimed at helping reduce roadway work zone accidents, injuries and fatalities. Winners were announced in three categories:
 
Outreach Campaigns: Programs that promote safety through implementation of employee and/or public education campaigns. There were winners at the national, and state and local levels in the outreach campaign category.
 
Training Programs: National, state and local educational programs that promote worker safety on the jobsite.
 
Innovations in Technology: The role that technology plays in improving safety in and around work zones with innovative products and methodologies or innovative applications to existing products and methodologies.

Outreach Campaign/Local/Municipal Level  

AGL Constructors, 4760 Archer Western, 1007 Granite Construction and Lane Construction Company for the 35Express Barrel Monster Campaign
 
To mark National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week, project crews on the $1.4 billion 35 Express project in North Texas designed and built large monsters from recycled orange construction barrels, safety and channeliser cones to serve as reminders to the traveling public to observe safety guidelines in work zones. To keep the community involved, AGL Constructors implemented a voting system where motorists were encouraged to vote via Facebook for their preferred barrel monster. This year’s monsters included King Kong, AGL Airplane, The Excavator, Emmet and The Eagle, and featured important safety messages encouraging motorists to stay off their phones, follow the flagger, reduce their speed and pay attention to signs while driving through a work zone.
 

Outreach Campaign/State Level

2451 California Department of Transportation, ProProse and Glass Agency for Be Work Zone Alert
 
Caltrans created an authentic campaign using young children of current Caltrans maintenance workers to deliver a deeply personal and compelling message to the public - Be Work Zone Alert. The educational campaign, featuring nearly 90 billboards and public service announcements, aired in 23 markets across California and has helped raise awareness, improve public safety and reduce collisions, injuries and fatalities on the state’s highways. The multimedia effort has delivered more than 42 million digital ad impressions and has reached over 432,000 people while addressing evolving safety messages like work zones may not always be marked by cones, safe driving means more than slowing, and drivers must be alert and avoid distractions in work zones.
 

Outreach Campaign/National Level  

DBi Services, LLC for the Billboard and Student Driver Outreach
 
In an effort to educate new drivers on the dangers of driving within work zones, DBi Services delivered a series of Work Zone Safety presentations to over 40 high schools in Virginia, Georgia, Texas and Florida. Industry experts explained to teenagers the importance of Florida’s Move Over law and its recent expansion to include vehicles with amber flashing lights working along the roadside.

In addition to engaging with high school students, DBi Services, in conjunction with National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week, sponsored a series of billboard ads and roadway message boards to remind motorists of the importance of driving carefully in roadway construction zones. The billboards appeared along stretches of I-95 in Brunswick, Georgia, potentially reaching 70,000 motorists/day.
 

Training Programs

Cornejo & Sons and Summit Materials, Inc for Entering and Exiting Work Zone Hazard Reduction
 
To reduce the risks associated with entering and exiting work zones, Cornejo & Sons developed a colour coded flag system to keep the public and workers safe when operating within a work zone. The company distributed instructions on windshield stickers and a training memo to all contractors, employees and third party groups to educate them on colour codes for each flag. The team created and organized a safer work zone by marking checked flags at the exits and coloured flags at various entrances to indicate the different delivery points for materials. By clearly marking each entrance, and designating entrances for different types of vehicles, Cornejo & Sons decreased the hazard and congestion from fleet trucks slowing to search for work zone entrances, leading to fewer employee accidents in work zones.
 

Innovations in Technology

Royal Truck & Equipment, Micro Systems, Inc. and Oldcastle Materials Group for The ATMA (Autonomous Truck Mounted Attenuator)
 
In collaboration with Micro Systems and Oldcastle Materials, Royal Truck & Equipment developed the next generation of roadway work zone safety - the innovative ATMA (Autonomous Truck Mounted Attenuator). At its core, a TMA Truck, or safety truck, serves as a protective crash barrier, preventing vehicles from entering work zones and helping to save workers’ lives. By outfitting the TMA truck with driverless technology, drivers will be removed from the cab of one of the most dangerous vehicles to pilot. In addition to being autonomous, the truck mimics the direction and speed of a lead vehicle through the use of sensors and can be controlled remotely through GPS Waypoint navigation. Two autonomous trucks will make their debut as part of a highway construction project in Florida by the end of the year.

Related Content

  • IRF India promotes road safety education in India to reduce casualties
    February 6, 2018
    Road safety education is an important ingredient in improving road safety, reducing accidents, and fatalities from these accidents. IRF India had been focusing on promoting road safety education in India. As part of its efforts, IRF India has focused on road safety education for both adults and children. For adults, IRF India has produced a series of eight films to promote safe behaviour. These films cover cover topics such as the need to use seat belts, drinking and driving, use of mobile phones while
  • New procurement rules for US roads will boost innovation
    September 27, 2019
    The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in the US has repealed a 103-year-old federal procurement rule.
  • Stantec: coming to an infrastructure site near you
    April 13, 2017
    Acquisitive Canadian firm Stantec is snapping up more transportation expertise as it moves out of its home North American market. David Arminas reports. Last December, politicians from the US states of Kentucky and Indiana celebrated the opening of the second of two major bridges. A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place in cold wintry weather on the new 762m-long cable-stayed Lewis and Clark Bridge. The event marked the finish of the prestigious three-and-half-year Ohio River Bridges Project.
  • The Blade is cutting edge in truck mounted attenuator technology
    April 18, 2017
    The Blade truck-mounted attenuator from the Verdegro Group has met the highest safety level - Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware. The AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) is the new set of regulations for crash-testing of safety hardware devices that are destined for use on the US National Highway System. It updates and replaces the 20-year old NCHRP Report 350. Verdegro also said that the Blade TMA was also nominated for the 2017 ATSSA innovation award, which took place just after World Hig