Kanat Sultanbekov – How Should Road Construction Projects be Managed Effectively?
Plans are crucial for road construction projects to protect workers from moving traffic in the work zone. Construction managers must work on these plans to manage the flow of construction vehicles, equipment, and site workers inside the designation zone.
Kanat Sultanbekov – Separate work areas must be created
Kanat Sultanbekov is a skilled and experienced construction manager from New York known for his proactive leadership skills and high safety standards when it comes to completing projects on time. According to him, the team should have separate road work zones so that accidents can be avoided. The workers can use barriers, cones, and barrels to define them, for example, areas for storage, parking, heavy equipment, etc.
The right safety equipment must be worn all the time
Every worker should wear the right gear to stay protected from flying objects that might occur during drilling, moving the earth, and other activities linked to road construction. This protective equipment should include steel-toed shoes or boots, hard hats, visible daily and night clothing, hearing protection, etc.
The PPE suits workers wear must meet or exceed the standards laid down by ANSI, and the visible clothing should be of lime/yellow or orange. The material should be reflective, especially if the workers are on the site during the night. The clothes they wear should meet the ANSI Class 2 or 3 standards.
Being aware of the surroundings
Though there are barriers to safety, workers should be mindful of their surroundings. They should be careful around heavy equipment and machinery, keeping in mind never to be near a vehicle that is on a swing radius or backing into a space. They should face the traffic when inside their work zones or keep another worker on alert if they have their back to the traffic. This worker will monitor the movement of traffic and heavy equipment inside the zone to alert the other members of the team inside the same work area of any possible dangers.
Stay away from blind spots
Heavy equipment and other vehicles are constantly moving in the work area, and they include pavement planers, compactors, dump trucks, rollers, and more. Operators of these machines must ensure all the visual aid tools and mirrors are functioning properly with lights and alarms.
Workers on foot who are working near these machines should be aware of the fact that these machine operators have a limited range of sight. They should stay near the driver, and the thumb rule is if you cannot see them clearly, neither can they, so move away from the spot to be safe.
According to Kanat Sultanbekov, there should always be a skilled worker or manager on the site. Workers will feel safe when there is an expert present on the site to supervise the work and keep the potential risks at bay! He will be able to identify risks and can conduct inspections on the site before the work starts. Moreover, in case there are problems, the person will be able to resolve the issue quicker.