Challenges in Ensuring Worker Safety in Active Roadway Work Zones

With highway infrastructure getting older and requiring regular maintenance, temporary work zones are a necessary part of upgrading our aging transportation infrastructure to meet today’s needs. Effective work zone management involves carefully balancing safety and mobility. It is necessary to ensure that the detrimental impacts on traffic flows are minimized and unnecessary congestion is avoided, but also to make sure that the safety of motorists and workers is not compromised. Short duration work zone traffic control poses unique challenges. Although the most advanced traffic control procedures are generally impractical in these situations, well-developed traffic control procedures exist for these situations, and when well-executed, will ensure the safety of both the workers and the travelling public, allowing the necessary roadwork to be completed successfully without incident. The paper defines short duration work activities, identifies the state-of-the-practice for short duration work zone safety standards, presents the challenges associated with short duration work zone safety and identifies best practices, including specific technologies and processes, for improving safety and maximizing mobility, in order to protect both workers and the travelling public.