Better flagging in construction zones

Idea:

Lately I have seen a lot of construction sites with no flaggers out even when someone is obstructing the flow of traffic. In the past 2 weeks alone this has included someone working on a manhole in the middle of Regent/Queen intersection, a team of 3 working on a pot hole on Bliss street, and a group working on some construction near the bottom of Wetmore. This poses a hazard both to drivers and to the workers. To my understanding, workplace safety best practices require flaggers if construction forces workers onto the road way. My concern is someone could get hurt by a distracted driver or by making an unexpected movement near a driver passing too close. Please work with construction contractors in making sure appropriate safety precautions are taken to protect the workers from injury.

Staff Feedback:

Thank you for looking out for workers safety! Construction road safety is extremely important and can be a very complicated topic. The City of Fredericton, Province of New Brunswick and anyone working on these roads are required to follow the procedures in the Work Area Traffic Control Manual (WATCM) or a custom traffic control plan that has been pre-approved.

Prior to work being done in the roadway, a hazard assessment is done to determine what type of traffic control is required. Depending on the duration, a flagger may or may not be required. The reason for this is a balancing between risks: To have a flagger on the road does not eliminate all the risks and can actually sometimes contribute new ones. When a flagger is used, traffic signs must be installed and this puts additional people at risk. So, in some instances of very short-duration work, it is a greater risk to put up signs, place flaggers on the road, and take signs down than it is to do the actual work. In these situations (ie opening a manhole to operate a water valve), a vehicle equipped with a flashing beacon protecting the worker or a dedicated traffic observer can be used instead. Each situation has different risks and protecting workers and the public is always carefully considered. A team effort is made by police, safety committees and workers to correct issues and enforce the regulations.