Lifelines Online
Published: January, 2010; Vol. 6, Num. 8

ANSI Work Zone Safety Standard Approved

Scott Schneider, the LHSFNA's Occupational Safety and Health Division Director and chairman of the work group that developed the standard, provides a detailed webinar overview and takes questions here [this note added April 22, 2010].

After an almost six-year development process, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved the new A10.47 standard on “Work Zone Safety for Highway Construction” in October.




“We are proud of what has been accomplished with the A10.47 standard,” says the LHSFNA’s Management Co-Chairman Noel C. Borck. “This is a best practice guide for contractors who want to go above and beyond the minimum federal regulations. It is an easy-to-use guide that hopefully will protect our workforce.”
The LHSFNA’s Occupational Safety and Health Division staff chaired the ANSI A10 subcommittee which developed the standard, and Travis Parsons, the LHSFNA’s Senior Safety and Health Specialist, coordinated much of the effort.  
The standard was balloted for 45 days, during which the 72-member committee voted and submitted more than 150 comments. To pass, at least two-thirds of those voting had to approve. When the results were tallied, the standard passed by a large margin with only a few “no” votes.
The A10.47 is a vertical standard (i.e., pertaining solely to the highway construction industry) and is voluntary. As with other ANSI standards, it could lay the groundwork for future changes in national regulations. 
The standard details procedures and precautions in the following areas:
    * Traffic Control
    * Flagger Safety
    * Runover/Backover Prevention
    * Equipment Operator Safety
    * Excavation, Electrical and Power Tool Safety
    * Fall Prevention
    * Materials Handling
    * Health Hazards
    * Night Work
    * Personal Protective Equipment
Parsons notes, “This standard was created to set best practices for the industry and reduce the number of injuries and fatalities in highway work zones. It’s all about prevention.”
Copies of the standard can be purchased from the American Society of Safety Engineers which acts as the secretariat for the A10 Committee. For further resources, visit the LHSFNA’s special web section on Work Zone Safety.  In addition, partners in the Roadway Construction Consortium recently released version 9.0 of its Roadway Safety Program. You can learn more about the new CD and test two of its demos on the LHSFNA website. To register for a free download, go to www.workzonesafety.org.
[Steve Clark]

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