Highway work zone safety conference

The Laborers Health and Safety Fund of North America (LHSFNA) has conducted the most comprehensive national study of serious injuries and fatalities among Highway and Street Construction workers to date.

The results of that study and some suggested safety intervention strategies were unveiled at a Highway Work Zone Safety Conference in Washington, DC late last year.

Several activities have resulted from the LHSFNA study:

• LHSFNA and several contractors are working to develop and test control and technology interventions including powerline awareness markers, spotter operator alarms and a ribbon switch/radio control truck stop system.
• A private firm working with contractors has begun to develop model internal work zone traffic control plans.
• In New Jersey, a joint cooperative project between the Laborers International Union of North

America (LIUNA), signatory contractors, OSHA and the New Jersey State Troopers has created a special Trooper division trained to recognize and intervene in hazardous work zone situations. It is estimated that during this pilot project over 1,700-highway construction hazards have been identified and corrected. More than 1,100 workers have been removed from exposure to serious hazards and potential injury.

• The Laborers-AGC Training Fund has developed pedestrian worker training courses to be offered to Construction Laborers.
• Several model safety programs are being developed for owners and contractors.
• The University of Massachusetts-Lowell is in the process of identifying ergonomic problems and developing solutions.
• LHSFNA is working with industry experts to address deficiencies in SAE and OSHA standards.

Visit the Wisconsin LECET website
Wisconsin LECET's web page has turned out to be a popular site for electronic travelers. After only four months, http://www.solidarity.com/lecet has received over 600 "hits" from visitors to the Internet. Email has come from the East Coast, the West Coast, Alaska, Hawaii and our Midwestern neighbors.

The site includes the Wisconsin Laborers Training Center schedule, past issues of the Wisconsin LECET newsletters and annual reports, information about regulatory issues including transportation budgeting and clean air regulations, as well as links to other labor related sites.

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