Category Archives: Safety

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Nat. Work Zone Awareness Week Targets Construction Zone Safety

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Hazardous work zones continue to affect the careers and companies of employees in the U.

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S. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 765 work zone fatalities in 2016, which marked a 7% uptick from the previous year. In 2015, in addition to motor vehicle-related fatalities (the majority of which were in construction zones), 35,500 people were injured in work zone crashes, as reported in the 2017 edition of the National Safety Council’s Injury Facts.

To mark the beginning of the road construction season and to prevent further incidents, the 19th annual National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) has launched and will run through April 13. Organized by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Highway Administration, this year’s campaign is “Work Zone Safety: Everybody’s Responsibility,” and aims to encourage safe driving through highway work zones.

The week kicked off today in host state, Illinois, at the Peoria Street bridge over Interstate 290 at the Jane Byrne Interchange reconstruction project in Chicago. Joined by the DOT, as well as other national and local partners, Illinois will hold events to raise awareness for safe driving practices in work zones. The Illinois DOT’s page states:

The Jane Byrne Interchange work zone emulates the Department’s goal toward a multimodal transportation system and reinforces the message that driving habits impact motorists, cyclists, workers and pedestrians. Whether you choose to drive, walk, bike or take public transportation, remember this year’s theme… Work Zone Safety: Everybody’s Responsibility.

One of the campaign’s nationwide events, Go Orange Day, is scheduled for April 11. Roadway safety professionals across the country are encouraged to wear orange to show their support of work zone safety, call attention to the dangers they face and honor the families of victims who lost their lives in work zones. In observance of Go Orange Day, the American Traffic Safety Services Association will host a Facebook Live event tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. (EST) to discuss the importance of work zone safety.

The NWZAW page has several resources for businesses, including this year’s toolkit, NWZAW poster, and other information to help get started. The toolkit includes customizable employer launch letters and press releases, fact sheets, event planners and interactive employee presentations.

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Suggested Go Orange Day and National Work Zone Awareness Week activities include:

  • Posting social media announcements with #NWZAW and #Orange4Safety; and distributing NWZAW fact sheets and posters.
  • Telling friends and family. Commit to telling at least three people about NWZAW and Go Orange Day, including statistics and information about work zone safety. By spreading the word in your circle, you will have a ripple effect that will make your community more aware while in work zones.
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  • Thanking a roadway worker. While it is not appropriate to pull over in a work zone to share your thanks, if you see a roadway worker out in the community, or know one that lives in your community, be sure to thank them for the work they do each day to maintain our roadways.

The Planet’s Plastic Garbage Problem

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A giant island composed of plastic waste thrice the size of France is floating in the Pacific Ocean. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) contains 1.

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8 trillion pieces of plastic weighing 80,000 metric tons. It is located between Hawaii and California, which has the distinction of being the world’s largest accumulation zone for ocean plastics because it just happens to be where multiple sea currents meet and where the (mostly) plastic mass churns.

The GPGP was on Risk Management Monitor’s radar back in 2014 (and prior to that, as well) and even then, it was already considered one of the costliest man-made disasters in history. But new developments from the Ocean Cleanup Foundation (OCF) confirmed that the buoyant junk heap exceeds earlier projections of its size and scope. According to the OCF, the newly released estimates are four to 16 times higher than previously expected for the GPGP’s overall size. 92% of the mass is represented by larger objects; while only 8% of the mass is contained in microplastics, defined as pieces smaller than a quarter-inch in size.

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“We were surprised by the amount of large plastic objects we encountered,” said Dr. Julia Reisser, chief scientist of the expeditions. “We used to think most of the debris consists of small fragments, but this new analysis shines a new light on the scope of the debris.”

The OCF has removal plans in motion and scientists said this situation also highlights the need for stronger recycling efforts.

Boyan Slat, founder of the OCF and co-author of the study, elaborated on the relevance of the findings for his organization’s cleanup plans: “To be able to solve a problem, we believe it is essential to first understand it. These results provide us with key data to develop and test our cleanup technology, but it also underlines the urgency of dealing with the plastic pollution problem. Since the results indicate that the amount of hazardous microplastics is set to increase more than tenfold if left to fragment, the time to start is now.”

OCF, which is privately funded, plans to remove the plastic heap using an autonomous floating system (composed of high-density polyethylene, a durable and recyclable material) designed to capture small plastic particles less than a half-inch and as large as tens of yards wide. Cleanup is expected to begin in the next six months and OCF models indicate that half of the GPGP can be removed by 2023. According to its website:

By removing the plastic while most of it is still large, we prevent it from breaking down into dangerous microplastics. Combining the cleanup with source reduction on land paves the road towards a plastic-free ocean in 2050.

Unfortunately, such a huge environmental risk is not limited to the Pacific.

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Last month, a study released in Frontiers in Marine Science found lots of microplastics in the fish and marine life of the North Atlantic Ocean:

Using forensic methods, this study assessed microplastic frequency of occurrence in mesopelagic fish gut contents from a warm-core eddy in the Northwest Atlantic. We detected a significantly higher occurrence rate of 73% in contrast to previous studies reporting occurrence rates of 11% in the North Atlantic and 9% and 35% in the North Pacific Gyre regions.

In a recent USA Today article, one Frontiers study author reminded that just because these fish may be out of our physical reach, our waste knows no bounds.

“These seemingly remote fishes located thousands of kilometers (miles) from land and 600 meters (2,000 feet) down in our ocean are not isolated from our pollution,” said study co-author Tom Doyle, a marine biologist at the National University of Ireland in Galway.

Limit Heart Attack Likelihood with Safe Snow Shoveling

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With the northeast hammered by its fourth major snowstorm this month, businesses and property owners in many areas are digging out, breaking out the salt pellets and shovels (just when they were hoping to stash them for the next eight months).

The risk of myocardial infarction rises during snowstorms, especially for someone who is not already physically active. According to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital, snow shoveling leads to about 100 deaths and 11,500 injuries and medical emergencies each year. That is why, to be safe, you and your maintenance worker, or team, should consider some hazards before a dig-out and clearing.

The biomechanics of shoveling are unlike general cardiovascular exercise. In contrast to running or walking, shoveling puts much more stress put on the upper body, as Popular Science noted:

Each time you thrust the snow, the arms rise high, increasing blood pressure further. In addition, you typically perform the Valsalva maneuver: a natural tendency to generate lots of chest pressure without exhaling breathing out (like tennis players do when they hit a ball, or when you push hard against something). This further increases blood pressure.

The American Heart Association (AHA) warns that the potentially lethal combination of intense physical exertion paired with the cold temperatures increases the heart’s workload to sometimes dangerous levels. Some of the AHA’s tips for an incident-free shovel session include frequent breaks, avoiding alcohol and large meals before and after shoveling. The AHA also recommends that you:

  • Use a small shovel or a snow thrower. The act of lifting heavy snow can raise blood pressure during the lift. It is safer to lift smaller amounts. When possible, simply push the snow.
  • Learn the heart attack warning signs and listen to your body. Even if you’re not sure it’s a heart attack, have it checked out. Carry your cellphone in your pocket and call 911 immediately if you experience any signs of a heart attack.
  • Be aware of the dangers of hypothermia. Heart failure causes most deaths in hypothermia. To prevent hypothermia, dress in layers of warm clothing, which traps air between layers forming a protective insulation. Wear a hat because much of the body’s heat can be lost through the head.

Snowy weather often means we don’t always get the nutrients we need from nature. We normally get our daily dose of vitamin D from the sun—which promotes calcium absorption in the stomach and is needed for bone growth and remodeling—but between grayer skies and our need to dress in layers, it may also be advisable to drink a glass of milk or take a supplement to get your dose. Accuweather also cited new research that “decreased exposure to sunlight may factor into the wintertime heart attack equation.”

As the air gets colder, people bundle up before spending time outdoors, leaving less skin to be exposed to the UV rays which aid in the body’s vitamin D production. A vitamin D deficit can accentuate the inflammation of the arteries.

The Snow & Ice Management Association (SIMA) recommends that you:

  • Take a few minutes to stretch. Shoveling snow is a workout so you need to stretch to warm up your muscles particularly because you are shoveling snow in the cold weather. Stretching before you start shoveling will help prevent injury and fatigue.
  • Push don’t lift. Sounds like something a high school wrestling coach may say but if you push the snow to the side rather than trying to lift the snow to remove it, you exert less energy thereby placing less stress on your body.
  • Drink up! Water that is. SIMA recommends taking frequent breaks and staying hydrated. You should drink water as if you were enduring a tough workout at the gym or running five miles.

 

FIU Bridge Collapse Brings Up Design, Safety Concerns

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Munilla Construction Management rendering of the completed FIU pedestrian bridge.

The 950-ton section of a pedestrian bridge’s collapse at Florida International University (FIU) that claimed six lives on March 15 has put stakeholders, design and installation firms under intense scrutiny. After months of preparation, the 174-foot span had been installed on March 10, and investigators and authorities are trying to establish if negligence played a part in the tragedy on SW 8th Street on FIU’s Modesto A. Maidique Campus.

The bridge was constructed off-site and relocated using Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC), a popular (and usually successful) industry method that aims to reduce potential risks to workers, commuters and pedestrians and minimize traffic interruptions. According to FIU, the bridge should have been a record-setter; on March 10, the University claimed it was “the largest pedestrian bridge moved via Self-Propelled Modular Transportation in U.S. history.” It was also poised to be the first in the world to be constructed entirely of self-cleaning concrete, which would have ultimately reduced maintenance costs.

Munilla Construction Management (MCM) was the Miami-based construction firm hired by FIU to manage and construct the FIU-Sweetwater UniversityCity Bridge, which jointly worked with design firm FIGG Engineering-Bridge Group. Barnhart Crane and Rigging operated the Self-Propelled Modular Transporters that placed the bridge on its permanent supports, and engineering firm BDI was subcontracted to conduct monitoring while the bridge was moved into place.

It was expected that the footbridge would be completed and operational in early 2019 and would also have served as a study and gathering space for students. The $14.2 million project was funded by Florida Department of Transportation, FIU and the City of Sweetwater, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) TIGER Grant, but the blame shifting has already begun. The Miami Herald reported:

…the project required “an independent, secondary design check,” and the design team, FIGG Bridge Engineers, hired another engineering firm, Louis Berger. That firm “was not FDOT pre-qualified for this service, which is required under FIU’s agreement with the state. FIU’s design build team is responsible for selecting a pre-qualified firm and ensuring this process is followed.”

The main span of the FIU-Sweetwater UniversityCity Bridge was installed in a few hours with limited disruption to traffic over the preceding weekend. FIU stated that on the morning of the collapse that MCM and FIGG met to discuss a crack on the on the structure, but ultimately concluded that “there were no safety concerns and the crack did not compromise the structural integrity of the bridge. This meeting lasted approximately two hours and included FIU and FDOT representatives.”

FIU added an FAQ page to its website in the aftermath of the collapse. It clarifies that FIU did not yet own the bridge “because it was still under construction” and names the key stakeholders, but does not yet reveal what was happening at the time of the collapse “because it still does not yet have the information.” The DOT stated that Secretary Elaine L. Chao dispatched Federal Highway Administration professional staff to the site to support the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) investigation.

An insightful article published by Wired explains the ABC process and looks at other incidents, noting that in this case the collapse could stem from design flaws and possibly loose cables burdened by the weight of the bridge.