Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 122 | TAILGATE TALK T A I L G A T E T A L K TAILGATE TALK | 3 Actively controlling or monitoring traffic presents a lot of dangers for work zone crews, such as distracted drivers and hazardous weather conditions. However, other dangers for crews can occur within the work zone as well. Wearing the proper personal protective equipment (PPE), such as vests and pants, is a great way to keep yourself visible to passing motorists, but it is important to remember to always wear your hard hat. Falling objects can come from anywhere on a job site. For example, when working with a utility client who has a fully extended bucket truck to work on power lines on a roadway, a worker could accidentally drop a tool from the bucket down to the ground where you are standing. By wearing a hard hat, workers can protect themselves from fatal injuries caused by dangers that may come unseen from above. Here at Flagger Force, it is a requirement for all of our employees on a job site to wear an ANSI/ISEA Z89.1 hard hat. Hard Hat Protection Tales from the Field RICHARD FLORIO When Richard Florio, Instructor and Advanced Crew Leader in the King of Prussia Operations and Training Facility, completed his pre-job brief while working a shoulder closure in Allentown, Pennsylvania, he thought it was going to be an easy day on the job. The client began their work, pulling wires, not realizing that the bungee cords they were using were caught on something. One of the cords stretched beyond its limits and snapped. A piece of metal flew into the air and lodged into his hard hat. “All I felt was a slight push on my hard hat. When I removed it, I noticed the large crack with the piece of metal still in it.” “After this experience, I realized that all PPE has a reason. It may be annoying to wear, but if we aren’t wearing this protective equipment, it could be very dangerous.” “I NOTICED THE LARGE CRACK WITH THE PIECE OF METAL STILL IN IT.” MARGARET JANE UPDEGRAFF While working at night, Margaret Jane Updegraff, Instructor and Advanced Crew Leader in the Pittsburgh market, and her crew were performing a flagging operation for a utility client. At one point in their operation, the crew needed to stop all directions of traffic so that the client could move equipment. A motorist became frustrated over the wait time and decided to “skip the line” and drive through. “I planned two escape routes from my flagging position, and I am so glad I did. When the motorist came through the zone, I had to utilize my alternative escape route to avoid being struck.” “Then, I heard a large crash and felt debris falling on my hard hat as I was running away from the zone. It turns out that the motorist ran over pieces of equipment that the client just staged along the roadway and damaged them. I was so glad I followed my flagger training for that incident.” “I HEARD A LARGE CRASH AND FELT DEBRIS FALLING ON MY HARD HAT.” Margaret Jane Updegraff with her retired hard hat. Richard Florio stands in the warehouse with his retired hard hat. This illustration shows a potential job site risk. Always wearing a hard hat in and around a work zone is important to your safety. VISIT WWW.FLAGGERFORCE.COM/SAFETY-101/VIDEO-RESOURCES TO VIEW A VIDEO DEMONSTRATION ON HARD HAT PROTECTION.