By
Kevin Crain
Working in a highway work zone can be a dangerous job, and
being a flag person is one of the most important jobs in the work zone. As a
flagger you bear a lot of responsibility for the safety of your coworkers and
the traveling public.
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| Kevin Crain |
I remember an incident that occurred on a U.S. 169 patching
operation. The work zone included all the required signs, and each flagger wore
a high visibility vest and orange hat. At that time, KDOT did not place lead-in
cones on the centerline as we now do. I had just cleared my traffic and was
watching a car coming at me at a high rate of speed. I was beginning to wonder
if the driver even saw me standing there holding the flagging paddle. As the
car came closer, it still was not slowing down so I started moving the paddle,
hoping to get the driver’s attention.
An experienced coworker once told me that a flag person
needs to take control of a potentially dangerous situation. My colleague said
that people in the vehicles could be like sharks in that if they sense fear
they will not respect you. I also thought about the crew operating the patching
equipment and realized that I was the only defense between them and this car.
I just stood there waving the flagging paddle, hoping I
would get this car to stop before it hit me. At the last moment, the car did
stop about five feet from where I stood. The driver rolled down the window and
stated that he could not see me standing in the roadway. That was hard to
believe. I asked if he had seen the signs telling him there was roadwork ahead
and he responded that he had not. Then I requested that he look into his rearview
mirror – and finally, he could see the signs.
He wanted to know what was going on. These folks were not
happy about being stopped, but I explained to the driver that we were doing
road repairs and that they would have to wait a few minutes before they could
proceed. Once we cleared the traffic from the other end of the work zone, I
turned my flagging paddle to SLOW and let them go on their way.
This is one of many near-misses that I have witnessed
throughout my nearly 20 years of working at KDOT. I ask people to pay attention
to their surroundings while driving. People in work zones also have families
that we want to go home to every day.
Kevin Crain
is the Supervisor at the KDOT Altamont Subarea office.
It is hard to imagine the danger that each and every Highway worker steps into every day. Your dedication to our state's infrastructure is so appreciated. This driver was clearly not paying attention to what he was doing. Just another example of how easy it is to be distracted and how quickly tragedy can occur. Driving and focusing on the road should be your only job while traveling.
ReplyDeleteSlow down in Work Zones and pay attention to the lives who are working.
Reading your blog left me shaking my head. What could the driver have possibly been doing or thinking to miss the work zone signs and cones? Thank you for finally getting him stopped - and then setting him straight. Work zones can be such perilous places. Thanks to you and all of the KDOT folks who work on our roadways.
ReplyDeleteThis is so common at temporary work zone sites and it is hard to believe that people can get so locked into their driving that they don't see work zone signing. My pet peeve with persons setting up work zones is that they sometimes let the work get so strung out that people start to wonder what is going on as they are escorted through the area. Also, when placing the flagging area, check the visibility approaching traffic has against the background. Lastly, make sure someone is patrolling the signs to make sure they are all standing...one sign down can destroy the message trying to be sent.
ReplyDeleteI sympathize wholeheartedly with the persons maintaining Kansas roadways. It is mostly a thankless job and very demanding and stressful, especially given KDOT's current circumstances and funding. Continued lack of proper funding may lead to more incidents such as this simply because minimal maintenance is all that can be accomplished.
Prayers for all KDOT workers.