Post on 28-Mar-2015
NCHRP 10-78Nighttime Construction Impacts onSafety, Quality, and Productivity
Jennifer S. Shane, Ph.D.Iowa State University
Research ObjectiveDevelop guidelines for the conduct of nighttime highway construction and maintenance operations. Two products:
▫Final report that documents conduct of the research.
▫Guidebook for planning and conducting nighttime construction projects.
Guidebook Topics•Risk•Illumination•Nuisances•Productivity•Quality•Cost•Safety•Communication
Phase I•Literature Review
•Survey of state transportation agencies
The Guide document relies heavily on comments received from the state DOTs and contractors.
Literature Review
Solution
Author
Arditi et al.
Arditi et al.
Sayer and Mefford
Ullman et al.
Arditi et al.
Ullman et al.
MasayukiAbraham
et al.
2000 2003 2004 2004 2005 2005 2006 2007
Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)
N N N N N N
Different site conditions – lighting, weather, traffic volumes
N N
GC Safety plans N
Management N
Crash rates N N
TC planning N N
Speed Control N
Accident factors N N N N
Survey
Perceived Disadvantages
0 5 10 15 20 25
Visibility problems
Higher worker accident rates
Higher traffic accident rates
Inferior work quality
Higher construction costs
Material availability problems
Worker and equipment scheduling problems
Noise
Decreased productivity
Equipment maintenance problems
Number of Responses
Not important at all
Somewhat important
Very Important
Extremely Important
Phase II
State
Type of Data Collection
Case Study/Interview
Field Measurement
California x Connecticut x Florida x xIowa x Illinois x xIndiana x xMichigan x North Carolina x New Jersey x xTexas x Washington x
Phase II
GuidebookSymbol Section Name Content
Key Take-Away An indicator of key, not-to-forget information—for quick reference
Tips Possible tips for using information
Other Resources
Sources of useful
informationo Interneto Literatureo Agency or groupo Reports
Development Phase
Typical Activities
Planning Determine purpose and needScoping Conduct environmental analysis,
conduct schematic development, hold public hearings, determine right-of-way impact,
Design Acquire right-of-way; develop plans, specifications, and estimates
Advertise and Bid
Prepare contract documents, advertise for bid, hold a pre-bid conference, and receive and analyze bids.
Construction Determine the lowest responsive bidder
Key Take-Away
KeyTake-Away
Top five effective ways to manage site safety are:
1.Pre-project planning for safety
2.Safety orientation and training
3.Written safety incentive programs
4.Accident/Incident investigations
5.Alcohol and substance abuse program
Safety
KeyTake-Away
Contract specifications provide varying levels of detail concerning required work zone lighting levels. The more quantitative the specifications the better, because they provide a measurable outcome that STAs can easily check. Drive-through inspections are of great importance but are not sufficient for ensuring proper work zone lighting levels.
Key Take-Away
Lighting
TipTIP 3-1 Drive-through inspections: Many DOT
inspectors focus on minimizing veiling luminance by decreasing the amount of light incident on the eyes of the traveling public. This is done by changing the aiming of light towers.
Another method for decreasing glare is by increasing pavement luminance (i.e., increasing the lighting in the background). This can be achieved by increasing lighting in the distance ahead of the work zone.
Lighting
KeyTake-Away
Recommended illumination levels vary by task. Tasks requiring higher levels of precision need higher levels of lighting. A minimum illuminance of 54 lux needs to be maintained in general working areas for the safety of workers and the driving public.
Key Take-Away
ResourceResourc
eThe FHWA construction noise website
contains three important documents:
(1) a Construction Noise Handbook prepared by the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center;
(2) the Roadway Construction Noise Model computer program; and
(3) the Highway Construction Noise—Measurement, Prediction, and Mitigation Manual
www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/noise/construction_noise.
Nuisances
TipTIP 5-7 Work shift productivity was found not
to be directly correlated to shift wages in overtime shifts. It was found to correlate more to the amount of downtime on a particular shift. Therefore, higher nighttime wages may not cause an increase in
productivity. Management policy should focus on work continuity at night rather than monetary incentives.
Cost $ $ $ $
KeyTake-Away
For most projects, the cost of work items is not dependent on whether the work is performed during the day or at night. Project-specific conditions are the drivers that cause price differentials between daytime and nighttime work.
Key Take-Away Cost
KeyTake-Away
The key to economical nighttime construction is competition.Structure the bid package to entice contractors to bid. Through conversations with subcontractors and suppliers, contractors have a good feel for the bidding environment and, if there’s competition, they will not put extra markup on a nighttime project.
Key Take-Away
Tip
TIP 8-2 Change vehicle and equipment paint to attention-grabbing colors. Add retroreflective tape to construction vehicles and equipment.
Safety
Key PointsArea Keys to SuccessIllumination Provide proper illumination through
planning and design; required for productivity, quality, and safety.
Nuisances Write nuisance control measure into the project specifications.
Productivity Detailed planning and scheduling, with extra labor training, will improve productivity.
Quality Specify the desired quality; some activities will benefit from cooler temperatures and less traffic congestion.
Key PointsArea Key to SuccessCost Decrease lighting costs by designing and
phasing the project so that permanent lighting is installed early. Consider the additional costs of lighting, nuisance mitigation, and traffic control in the estimate, but also consider productivity impacts of less congestion and longer work periods.
Safety Priority one on every jobsite is safety, for the workers and the public. Night work requires detailed traffic control planning.
Communication Provide honest, timely information to the public regarding the project. On-site personnel must have authority to make decisions.
RelationshipsThe factors were explored individually. However, there is interaction between factors and they are not mutually exclusive. For example, nighttime projects require lighting. Lighting will add cost, which could be considered an issue. However, good lighting improves productivity, quality, and safety of the nighttime jobsite.
Jennifer S. Shane, Ph.D.Iowa State UniversityCivil, Const., & Environmental Engr.515-294-1703jsshane@iastate.edu