For roadside workers, summer can be fatal. They need drivers to pay attention, slow down
For Tammy Sampson and her traffic control crews, summer’s arrival means their already dangerous job gets even more hazardous.
Their workplace is the roadside. Their “office” is within metres of passing vehicles. And as summer weather and vacations bring out more traffic, their job gets busier – and riskier. Sometimes, orange cones are the only things separating their work site from moving vehicles weighing several tonnes.
“I have come close to being hit on several occasions,” says Sampson, who has worked in traffic control for 30 years. Her company, RSBC Road Safety BC, employs crews on work zones around the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley. She also serves on the Work Zone Safety Alliance, which supports the Cone Zone campaign that aims to reduce risks for roadside workers and for people who drive through work zones.
“Working in and around traffic is dangerous,” says Trace Acres, Program Director for Road Safety at Work and Cone Zone spokesperson. “How we drive in work zones affects the lives of other people. We need to slow down, leave our phones alone and pay attention, and move over to put more room between vehicles and workers if it’s safe to do so.”
Nine roadside workers were killed and 239 injured seriously enough to be off work in BC from 2013 through 2022, according to WorkSafeBC statistics. Injured workers were off the job for an average of 131 days each.
“As traffic control people we put a lot of trust in the travelling public,” Sampson says. “It only takes one who breaks the rules to create the unsafe situation.”
Phone use, speeding creates deadly situations
Sampson narrowly avoided being struck in a work zone when a driver chose to go around the vehicles she had stopped. “An incident like this will make your heart race,” she says.
She’s also seen a co-worker struck when a driver rear-ended a company truck after going through almost 200 metres of the closed lane at night. The worker was rushed to hospital. The truck was totalled.
The driver had been texting while at the wheel.
Distracted driving and speeding are common in work zones, Sampson says. “These behaviours have the potential to become senseless, deadly situations.” Some drivers also come too close to traffic control persons before stopping, increasing the risk of injury.
Drivers and passengers are at risk too
“Going too fast, or driving distracted or aggressively, can cause rear-end collisions and other crashes,” Acres says. “If you’re not paying attention, you could hit or be hit by vehicles and equipment working in the zone.”
Safe driving is the law. Fines go up to $368
BC law requires drivers approaching and driving through roadside work zones to:
- Slow down and drive with care
- Pay attention and avoid using your phone
- Follow instructions from traffic control persons or devices such as temporary road signs
In addition, BC’s Slow Down Move Over law requires drivers to slow down below the posted speed limit and move over on a multi-lane road if it’s safe to do so. Slow Down Move Over applies in work zones where vehicles are displaying flashing red, blue, or amber lights, but its rules are best followed in all work zones.
Sampson also encourages drivers to make eye contact with traffic control persons. “It provides a good indication we have your attention, you are not distracted, you are ready and prepared to receive safe instruction.”
The typical fines in BC for work zone violations include:
- Failing to follow the Slow Down Move Over Law: $173 and 3 points
- Using an electronic device while driving: $368
- Speeding: $196 and up
- Disobeying a traffic control device: $121
- Disobeying a traffic control person: $196
Sampson wants the summer to be injury-free in work zones. “I think the work being done by the Cone Zone awareness campaign, by WorkSafeBC, by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, and by the BC Construction Safety Alliance is making a difference and improving safety for roadside workers.”
For more information visit ConeZoneBC.com.
About the Work Zone Safety Alliance
The Work Zone Safety Alliance is comprised of: Ambulance Paramedics of BC, Automotive Retailers Association, BCAA, BC Construction Safety Alliance, BC Flagging Association, BC Highway Patrol RCMP, BC Hydro, BC Municipal Safety Association, BC Road Builders & Heavy Construction Association, BC Road Safe, CoreCode Safety and Compliance, Government of BC, IBEW Local 258, Insurance Corporation of BC, Justice Institute of British Columbia, K & K Consulting, LiUNA Local 1611, Mainroad Group, Metro Traffic Management, Road Safety at Work, SafetyDriven, Telus, Trans Mountain, United Traffic Control, Universal Group, Vancouver Island Construction Association, Vanguard Road Safety, and WorkSafeBC.
About Road Safety at Work
Road Safety at Work is a WorkSafeBC-funded initiative managed by the Justice Institute of BC aimed at eliminating work-related motor vehicle crashes, deaths, and injuries in BC. Road Safety at Work offers free online resources — including courses, workshops, webinars, and consulting services — to help organizations plan, implement, and monitor effective road safety programs. Visit RoadSafetyAtWork.ca.
Media contact
Gord Woodward, Communications manager
Road Safety at Work
250-734-3652
gwoodward@roadsafetyatwork.ca