We’ve discussed this effective safety idea in the pages of AsphaltPro magazine before. You can find tips on this concept in the online training course we prepared with industry consultant John Ball. This month, The Lane Construction Corp. of West Columbia, South Carolina, received a NAPA 2017 Asphalt Operations Safety Innovation Award for it. Because it’s important to reiterate and make sure each and every member of the crew—new and veteran—knows that a differently-colored safety cone indicates something is up.
“Up” being the operative word.
In the photo below, provided by Lane Construction and NAPA, you can see that the neon green cone is placed under an overhead wire. The cone’s uniqueness and placement is to draw attention to the overhead hazard.
Make sure your work zone includes indicators of overhead hazards.
Also make sure each worker on your team knows what those indicators mean. During the morning’s safety huddle or tailgate talk, take the time to remind crewmembers of the special cones, boxes, flags or other indicators of overhead utility lines.
While researching overhead powerline hazards, The Lane Construction Corp’s safety team for the Carolinas learned that many workers had misconceptions about the relative danger of overhead utility lines, believing that little harm could come from cable television and telephone lines. The workers were unaware that OSHA required employees and equipment be kept a minimum of 10 feet away from any line with 50,000 volts or less running through it. That’s why Lane developed the Cones for Life program, which is now a best practice for the company. You can implement the use of vibrant cones at your work sites, too.