Advanced Technology Keeps Road Workers out of Harm’s Way

Fatalities in the construction industry, including fatal transportation incidents, are some the most frequent type of fatal work-related events in the United States and Canada. In the U.S., the Bureau of Labor Statistics preliminarily reported 1,682 fatal transportation incidents in the construction industry in 2009. In Canada, The Centre for the Study of Living Standards reported 20.6 deaths per 100,000 workers in the construction industry workers from 1993 to 2005. Human flaggers and police officers directing traffic on construction sites put themselves in harm’s way every time they step into the roadway. They are often struck by passing vehicles or construction vehicles. In the U.S. alone, 265 workers were struck and killed on the job in 2009. In November 2010, a Hamilton, Ontario flagger was struck by a drunk driver, thrown into a backhoe and killed just days before his 60th birthday.