Page 11 - Work Force September 2019

raised public awareness on work zone safety through many venues, including public education sessions, information days, awareness events and collateral; worked with state and local government officials on policies and practices to improve work zone safety and educating our members on work zone safety.
On these pages are some stories from CSEA members who work on roadways. To learn more about what you can do to help make work zones safer, visit cseany.org/work-zone-awareness.
cseany.org
September 2019 • Vol. 22, No. 8
At risk in
work zones
Photo by Wendi Bowie
See pages 10-11
11
ks of work zones
members urge awareness
release. “It is important that motorists are aware of their responsibility to follow the rules of
the road and know that violations of the Move Over Law and work zone intrusions will not be tolerated.”
Andy Hahn, a DOT highway maintenance supervisor and CSEA DOT Region 4 (Rochester) Local activist who has logged 20 years on the job, said raising awareness about improving the safety at highway work zones is timely and necessary.
Hahn called the day-to-day highway work ‘tense.’ “You must maintain a hyper-awareness about what is going on around you,” he said.
CSEA DOT Region 4 (Rochester) Local President Chuck Parsons, who has worked at the agency for more than 36 years, said our members are being proactive when it comes to workplace safety, including getting training in improving work zone safety and participating in ‘train-the-trainer’ sessions.
“It is critical that
motorists pay attention
behind the wheel and eliminate distractions, especially on interstates and other multi-lane highways,” Parsons said. “Educating the public is key to making sure our members go home unscathed tonight. Keeping everyone safe in a work zone is truly everyone’s business.”
— Ove Overmyer
On the cover, Cornell Scott on the job.
Parsons
10 (Babylon) Local President Richard Allen, a highway maintenance supervisor 1, primarily works on the busy Sunrise Highway in Nassau County, where he noted that there are always vehicles less that 2 feet away from crews in work zones and manholes are often in the middle of the road, including intersections.
Cornell Scott: ‘Sometimes, traffic is as close as a foot away’
Cornell Scott, a highway maintenance worker 1 at the state Department of Transportation’s Riverhead residency in Suffolk County, urges
motorists to be aware while driving in work zones. “You never feel completely comfortable when
you’re out there,” Scott said. “You have to be really careful because many people aren’t paying attention [on the roads].”
Scott is well aware of what highway workers risk. “Someone from out here was killed years ago,
so I always keep that in the back of my mind,” he
said. “You always have to keep your eyes and ears open, you always have to be aware and you always have to be on point because things can change in an instant.”
Scott noted that the state’s ‘Move Over Law’ has helped keep work zones safer for workers.
“The Move Over Law is really important because it prevents accidents,” he said. “If I’m parked on the right shoulder [of the road], and I get in and out of the truck, I have plenty of room if [the law is obeyed].”
After inclement weather, trucks are often at risk for becoming stuck, so Scott said workers must park closer to traffic in these cases, limiting the space they have to get in and out of the vehicles.
“Sometimes, traffic is as close as a foot away
Allen: ‘All it takes is one mistake’
Transportation Region C
“If someone is driving recklessly, it’s better to have a truck damaged than for someone to lose their life,” he said. “We have cones out to guide traffic, but people ignore them, so we try to surround ourselves with the trucks for extra protection.”
Even with strong precautions, Allen said he still feels he’s at risk.
“Every day you’re out there, you feel vulnerable,” he said. “All it takes is for a driver to make one mistake and you can be seriously hurt or injured.”
“Please pay attention and stay off of your phone,” Allen said. Remember, we’re somebody’s [family member]. We want to go home at the end of the day, too.”
— Wendi Bowie
SEA Department of
“Your head has to always be on a swivel because all it takes is one person not paying attention and it’s a bad day,” Allen said.
Allen noted that workers try to protect themselves by surrounding themselves with trucks.
Allen
and [drivers] are flying by; they’re not slowing down. So, the Move Over Law is a very big deal for us [DOT workers]. We all have families and we all want to go home at night, so we need drivers to slow down when they see us.”
— Wendi Bowie
September 2019
The Work Force