Keeping road workers safe

The roads in England are among the busiest on earth. Thankfully, they are also among the safest. In terms of road safety as a whole, national statistics reveal that road fatalities are their lowest for more than four decades. However, the overall injury for the 4,000 workers on the streets of the UK has increased.

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In the current traffic conditions, an active traffic lane on the highway is a very dangerous place to work. A University of Oxford study placed this job as the 16th most dangerous job in the UK. 17 years ago in 2005, the Highways Term Maintenance Association stated there had been 5 deaths and 12 serious injuries – more than double the death rate of the previous five years. And all casualties were caused by workers who were hit by speeding vehicles.

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In the 5 years between 2003 and 2008, the number of road workers killed reached 11, with 104 badly hurt on motorways and major routes in the UK.

Since the launch of HTMA in April 2005, one issue has dominated the road maintenance sector – safety. They are dedicated to reducing accidents for road workers.

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HTMA has a long-term goal to create a safer working environment including:

  • Reduce road worker exposure to direct traffic and reduce the risk to workers of the road while on the network.
  • Highlight the importance of road workers and their safety to the public to raise awareness throughout the industry
  • Increase the awareness and behaviour of road users by improving driver’s education
Jeffrey Bowman

Jeffrey Bowman