Construction season is once again upon us. For Saskatchewan, that means we must concentrate our efforts on building and maintaining our infrastructure through a limited window. That usually means it’s all hands on deck when it comes to the workforce needed to start and complete projects.
A road construction project is a busy place. Anyone who has driven on a Saskatchewan highway over the years would attest to this. Co-ordinating the flow of ongoing traffic while manoeuvring a piece of heavy equipment is a carefully choreographed process. One wrong move can mean the difference between life and death.
When it comes to safety, our industry is at the forefront of delivering the necessary training to ensure that anyone in the heavy construction industry can expect to work in a safe environment. It is often external factors that limit the industry’s ability to guarantee an accident-free work site.
In 2012, a young woman was working as a flag person on a road construction crew in the southeast corner of Saskatchewan. Her name was Ashley Dawn Richards, and she was 18 years old. She had just started work on the highway project, when a driver sped through the construction zone driving 90 to 100 kilometres an hour. The driver hit and killed Ashley.
Ashley’s death was completely avoidable, had the reckless driver adhered to the rules of driving through a construction zone. While additional safety measures have been put in place since Ashley’s death, there is still work to be done to educate and remind drivers that they need to slow down and be safe.
That is why our industry continues to advocate with stakeholders and partners to inform the general public on the importance of understanding and practicing road safety.
Adopting common sense practices when behind the wheel, such as slowing down in a construction zone, being aware of your surroundings, and paying attention to the road and not your phone, will create a safer workplace for highway construction workers.
Avoiding a life-changing tragedy by simply slowing down and paying attention should be the easiest decision any driver makes.
Have a safe summer.
