RoWSaF Newsletter - Issue 1

The Highways Agency’s ‘Aiming for Zero’ Road Worker Safety (RWS) Strategy sets the target to ‘achieve a substantial reduction in the need for road workers to cross live carriageways on foot, by the end of 2011’. RWS Programme Manager Mark Pooley gives RoWSaF News an insight into progress so far.

The safety of road workers on our network is of paramount importance to us at the Highways Agency. The Road Worker Safety Strategy was launched in Nov 2009 and is one of four workstreams in our ‘Aiming for Zero’ overarching strategy. We aim to meet this target to achieve a substantial reduction in the need for road workers to cross live carriageways on foot, by the end of December 2011 and I am pleased to say that we are on track to do so.

The single most important outcome so far will be the removal of the 600 and 200 yard ‘wicket signs’, normally provided on the nearside verge and central reserve,

during ’relaxation’ works (usually of a short duration, such as those carried out overnight). Our on road trials have shown there is no difference in driver response when using the simplified layout, but it will substantially reduce safety risk to road workers. A draft Interim Advice Note has been considered by the RoWSaF Technical Project Board (see article on page 2).

Other techniques already introduced include an innovative cone taper technique (AMM 125/10), using fewer cones on the entry to roadworks in low traffic flows. Also a new “Temporary barrier decision-making tool” (CHE Memorandum 266/11 and IAN 142/11), and the “Risk-based approach to Safety Barrier Repairs” (AMM 129/10), a revised matrix which provides more transparency in the decision making process for prioritising barrier repairs.

With the help of our supply chain partners, we are building up case

Welcome to this first issue of the Road Workers’ Safety Forum (RoWSaF) Newsletter, which will update you on current activities within the highways industry to improve the health, safety and welfare of road workers working on our high-speed roads.

RoWSaF brings together stakeholders from across the sector to share expertise and knowledge so that we can reduce risks to road workers by delivering improvements in how we work. RoWSaF has a Trials Team focused on innovation, looking at methods of work and the use of new technology and equipment. The articles in this issue will give you a flavour of the ongoing road worker safety projects initiated under our Aiming For Zero programme. I hope that you find it informative and interesting and that you are encouraged to contribute your news and views to future issues.

A new way of communicating

Making roads safer for road workers Issue 1 - November 2011Highways Agency’s Road Worker Safety Programme ‘On Tar-

Ginny Clarke is Chair of RoWSaF and Director of Net-work Services at the Highways Agency.

//RoWSaFnews

Inside....• Sign simplification trial finishes in Area 4• Are intelligent cones the way of the future?• Innovative cone tapers in action • Road safety ideas from the Continent• Plus...Key dates into 2012

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Highways Agency’s Road Worker Safety Programme ‘On Target’

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The ‘Innovative Cone Taper’ is a new approved method to reduce the number of cones on the network, improving the safety of road workers. Mark Neville from Carillion urges us to understand it better.

Laying a cone taper is generally considered the most dangerous of tasks of any traffic management team. Road workers have to work within close proximity to traffic when it is likely to be going fastest, causing obvious risks.

A different approach to laying a cone taper which reduces manual handling of cones

and the time it takes to lay them has been approved for use on the network since 2010. An alternative method of constructing the entry taper on the approach to “relaxed” road works was originally developed, promoted and trialled via the Highways Agency and Industry through the Road Workers’ Safety Forum (RoWSaF).

This method has indicated reduced deployment time for tapers. In turn this improves safety for both road workers and the general public with cost reductions to all key stakeholders.

I’d encourage anyone involved in traffic management on the network to take the time to read and understand AMM125/10 and provide the HA with feedback on its use.

Innovative Tapers Significantly Reduce Cone Handling

Road workers could soon face less risk as a result of innovative trials in Area 4 and Area 10 to reduce the number of road works warning signs. Balfour Beatty Mott MacDonald’s Shane Wimble and A-One+’s Danny Jameson explain.

Carriageway crossings have been a focus of work to reduce risk at Balfour Beatty and A-One+. During the autumn of 2008, a workshop was held for RoWSaF members, road user organisations and Highways Agency staff to review options for placing fewer signs at road works. This led to approval for simulator trials which showed no detectable impact on driver behaviour.

In 2010, live six month trials were permitted in two Areas. A-One+ working with Colas Traffic Management in Area 10, and Balfour Beatty

working with Anglia Traffic Management in Area 4, saw fewer wicket signs placed on several motorways.

The behaviour of motorists was monitored closely by covert video monitoring systems developed by TRL. At first, a typical Chapter 8 layout was used, progressing to the removal of the 600 yards advanced signs and Detail ‘A’ on the hard shoulder, and finally removal of the 200 yards advanced signs.

The results were very positive with no detectable impact on driver behaviour. A consultation on the proposal to place fewer advanced signs for road works has been conducted via a Technical Project Board and the HA is planning to issue guidance in November 2011.

Sign Simplification Trialledstudies of good practice, to help demonstrate how to reduce risks to road workers. Our Health and Safety Toolkit, delivered in March 2010 has captured over 200 cases of good practice.

These achievements are evidence of the excellent work carried out by our supply chain and RoWSaF members.

I have been very encouraged by everyone’s focus on improving road worker safety and I look forward to continuing the partnership with our supply chain, to make our network safer for both road workers and road users at road works.

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Further info: The other workstreams in ‘Aiming for Zero’ are: Construction and Maintenance Safety, Traffic Officer Safety, and Office Based Staff Safety. For more information on the AfZ RWS Programme, visit the HA web site at AfZ Road Worker Safety

An innovative cone taper near Daventry

Sign simplification showing new offside wicket layout

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A trial to investigate whether so-called ‘offside wicket signs’ are necessary on our three and four lane motorways is starting this month. Martin Pollard of Chevron explains.

The current rulebook regarding the placing of traffic management, Chapter 8, requires wicket signs signifying the lane closure to be placed both on the verge and in the central reservation, when lane 1 is closed in any road narrower than 5 lanes.

Exposing traffic maintenance workers to the dangers involved in crossing such wide live carriageways has been an issue of concern for some time. Generally speaking, the wider the carriageway, the more distance a road worker has to cross to place the sign, and the greater danger that puts them in.

RoWSaF has now approved a trial to see if central reservation ‘wicket signs’ are necessary for the safety of road workers and road users on roads which are three or four lanes wide.

The trial will be carried out by Chevron on behalf of Enterprise Mouchel in Area 3 ,and will involve closing lane one of the motorway overnight for the cleaning of motorway Advanced Direction Signs. In one instance, traditional central wicket signs will be used and in the other, only nearside signs will be used.

Evidence will be gathered with the help of portable cameras and the data will be collected and analysed by TRL with recommendations to the HA. All this will happen by the end of the year and we hope that this translates into better safety for road workers in the future, saving them from injury and potential loss of life.

Relaxing the Off-Side Rule

A new technology has been developed which could see the humble traffic cone turned into an electronic safety barrier. Phill Beaumont from A-One+ has the latest.

Often, a road worker has no warning that a vehicle is coming towards them when they’re at their most vulnerable on the network. Every year there are dozens of incidents where cone lines are breached.

Now a new type of ‘intelligent’ cone can form an ‘electronic safety perimter’ around a site and provide ample warning to a road worker of approaching danger. The ‘Intellicone’, shown at a recent Trials Team meeting, uses an innovative wireless movement-sensitive device hidden in the cone lamp. When this is knocked it lets off a visual and audible alarm, providing a signal to a remote alarm placed at the location of the road workers (up to 6km away), and alerting them to the approaching danger.

The ‘Intellicone’ received a positive response at the meeting and was a recent winner of the Highway Excellence Magazine Special Merit Award. A-one+ have four systems in operation (from 1st November 2011), one in each of their areas 7,10,12,and 14 . We will report back in early 2012 with the results.

Intelligent Cones of the Future...

Placing cone lamps and having to replace falling cone lamps in live carriageways presents a risk to road workers. Now Connect Plus Services has won approval for a trial on the M25 which could reduce that danger by around 90%, as their Simon Taylor reports. On the M25 we have dozens of recorded issues of cone lamps becoming dislodged and falling off. Being Europe’s busiest motorway, this leads to some real problems with vehicles striking or swerving to avoid cones, posing significant safety risks to road workers and users. Unfortunately, these incidents are seen as the ‘norm’ and not a ‘near miss’.

Now RoWSaF has approved a trial which Connect Plus Services will carry out during planned lane closures, to trial the use of non-lamped cones on the longitudinal run only. Sequential lights on tapers and static lamps on chicanes will still be used.

All in all there could be a reduction in the lamps of around 90%, which in addition to improving safety, would also produce real cost and environmental benefits.

TRL will monitor this and write a report on the findings for the Highways Agency to enable changes to current guidance on the use of cone lamps.

This will also be trialled by Amey in Area 9.

Reducing the Need for Cone Lamps

| Page 4 |Produced by Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering in partnership with

the Highways Agency on behalf of the Road Workers’ Safety Forum.

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21 novemberRoWSaF Working Group.Key discussions include competence standards for motorway passes and maintenance of non-accessible gantries.

23 november PRAISE (Work Related Road Safety) seminar, Madrid: Paul Mitchell, Head of Health and Safety, HA will present the work of RoWSaF to EU colleagues.

24 november Maintenance Community Steering Group.

30 novemberHA Procurement Awards at Warwick University including a special H&S category.

6 DecemberRowSaF Steering GroupKey discussions include forward programme for trials and IPV collisions.

20 DecemberPrincipals Group.

2 February 2012 Maintenance Community Steering Group.

The Road Workers’ Safety Forum (RoWSaF) is an industry group established in 2001, promoting the health, safety and welfare of road workers. Members are drawn from UK roads administrations, enforcement agencies, contractors, designers and their associations.

If you have comments, contributions or suggestions for RoWSaF News then please contact Scott Wilson or call 01737 785147

•Aiming for Zero’s Ian Smith on Temporary

Traffic Management Sign Simplification

•A progress update on ‘Intellicones’

•The latest from all the RoWSaF meetings

RoWSaF has set up a Technical Project Board to review proposed safety-related changes to Chapter 8 guidance.

In order to see best safety practices implemented more quickly on the network, the Technical Project Board, made up of RoWSaF members and independent stakeholders from across the highways industry, can quickly respond to proposed changes resulting from road worker safety projects by using online consultation.

Changes to guidance are sent out via a Chief Highways Engineer Memorandum (CHE Memo) and associated Interim Advice Note (IAN) or an Area Management Memorandum (AMM).

The Technical Project Board has recently consulted on its first draft Interim Advice Note on signs simplification for temporary traffic management (see article on page 2).

Crash cushions featured large as a topic at a recent video conference between the HA and roads authorities in Belgium (AWV) and the Netherlands (RWS).

AWV highlighted problems in the design and use of crash cushions and they are working with the UK, Netherlands and other EU countries to try to establish an EU standard. This work is likely to take three to four years.

AWV is conducting research to better understand the hazards associated with different situations which use crash cushions and will share their learning with the HA at a future meeting.

Issues highlighted for future discussion include non-compliance with Red X signals, accident frequency rates and the use of block vehicles. A return video conference is planned for early in the New Year.

Key Dates

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And finally... Safety in Numbers on the M25Skanska Balfour Beatty’s M25 Junctions 27 to 30 Widening Team held a ‘Stop for Safety’ day recently. Attended by over 700 people, the occasion was designed to help everyone focus on health and safety issues and consider the contribution they can make towards achieving better safety.

As part of the day, 105 workers received a health check. Numerous activities, ranging from remote control plant to lessons on how to install a Teletower, also took place in demonstration areas.