Archive for February, 2010
As continued from earlier, I was talking about the common uses of different lens colors of barricade lights. Airports can be tricky when it comes to regulations with barricade lights. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) has to approve a product before it can be used at an airport, and I have only stumbled upon one brand of barricade lights that are FAA approved.
It is important to note that most barricade lights are cleared for use in construction, so this includes airport construction, but this also doesn’t necessarily mean it’s approved by the FAA. Always check to make sure. As also mentioned earlier, blue barricade lights are popular among railroads. Railroads usually like these barricade lights to be blue, but the problem is blue solar barricade lights are very hard to come by. If you need blue solar barricade lights, try to order them in advance, no matter where you buy them.
Emergency Traffic Cones
We have all been witness to an accident that just happened, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that carrying around some sort of warning device for accidents is a good idea. You get distracted on your cell phone and look up and there is a car that isn’t moving. If you are that car, it’s important to carry around traffic cones or some other sort of warning device so that people can easily tell you need to be avoided.
Carrying around traffic cones in the back of your car is obviously not very practical, but luckily there is a solution. There are companies out there that make inflatable traffic cones, that will inflate via a pump that is built in. Think about which size is best - 24″ is most likely the standard for this type of use. There are many options - reflective tape, weights to keep them from blowing over, and even blinking LED lights at the top.
Traffic Barriers - What?
A lot of people don’t know what a traffic barrier is. Well, this post is to explain some of the common features found in traffic barriers. Traffic barriers are lot more heavy duty than a standard traffic barricade, for example. They are designed to take the impact of a vehicle and redirect it.
Before buying a traffic barrier, make sure it is NCHRP-350 approved, meaning it meets the requirements and can take an impact at different levels. Level 1 is 30MPH, level 2 is 45MPH and level 3 is 62.5MPH. They are usually used to replace concrete medians, and are set up in long, long sections.
A Good Type III Traffic Barricade
There are many different types of type III traffic barricades, many different brands, and many different options. But before purchasing your barricade, try and find out some of these details to make sure you have a quality product. Make sure the barricade is NCHRP-350 approved, this is a way of making sure it lives up to regulation standards.
When someone buys traffic safety equipment, they usually don’t use it for that long. That doesn’t mean that some uses aren’t long though, so making sure your product will last can be important. Try to make sure the paint is good, weather resistant baked enamel paint is some of the best. Next week we will blog more about type III barricades, so look for a type 3 barricade post coming soon.
Barricade Lights - Industry Features
Most people would think there is just one type of barricade light, but the truth is there are many. There are solar barricade lights, battery powered barricade lights, dome shaped lens barricade lights, d-cell barricade lights, 6 volt barricade lights etc. One type of barricade light is both solar and battery powered, what happens is the sun will trickle charge the batteries because it goes through the solar panel.
These trickle charged barricade lights are good if you want to replace batteries less, but don’t want to pay the upfront cost of a fully solar barricade light. Amber lens barricade lights are by far the most common, but red lens and blue lens are also available. Red lens barricade lights are most popular among airport construction projects, and blue barricade lights are most popular among railroads.
Traffic Barrels Offer Extra Protection
There are several factors to take into consideration when choosing what traffic safety equipment you are going to utilize on the job. If you are working in an area that has a high volume of fast-moving traffic, it is advisable to take precautionary measures to ensure the safety of your crew and the drivers on the road. One of the best ways to accomplish this is through traffic barrels.
Delineator posts and traffic cones are adequate for many jobs, but a traffic barrel offers an extra layer of protection. Many barrels feature an impact-resistant design that not only protects the equipment in a crash but the vehicle as well. These barrels can withstand multiple collisions and are made to minimize rolling after impact.
Traffic Channelizers - Explained
This post doesn’t describe each type or brand of traffic channelizer out there, but gives information about the different options in the industry. These traffic channelizers can be found on the highway, sometimes with blinking barricade lights on the top. The basic term traffic channelizer can mean any traffic safety product that “channelizes” traffic, but for the purpose of this post we are sticking with the orange traffic drums.
Before picking your traffic channelizer, try and find out your country’s or state’s regulations as far as reflective tape size/quality. Reflective tape can come in 4″ or 6″ bands, and it can be EG (engineer grade), HI (Hi-Intensity grade), or DG (diamond grade). Different brands have different heights, but the average is around 40″ tall. Same goes for the diameter of the base of the drum.
Traffic Message Boards - Common Features
Most traffic message boards these days are solar, so it is important to look at the wattage of solar energy the solar panel can produce. For some of the better traffic message boards, set up is fast and simple. This may be hard to believe, because they are very complex looking, but it is true. Many are built to endure extreme wind, up to 65 MPH.
The hydraulic pump (if the message boards include that) puts the message into position. Some of the best ones are painted with automotive paint so that finish looks nice for years. They are also designed so that they have balance in terms of weight so that they can be easily towed.
Traffic Cone Damage
One motorist describes an incident where other motorists drove over traffic cones. One road safety worker was dropping cones off the back of a moving truck onto a lane that was under construction. The problem was that he wasn’t as careful as he should have been, and one of the traffic cones landed in a lane under use.
Most oncoming traffic was able to avoid the cone, but one motorist was confused and went directly into it. The traffic cone went under the vehicle and was dragged for a few feet. The motorist didn’t think much of it, took the squished cone out from under the car, and kept driving. It’s impressive that there was no damage, but this raises two questions that user “edisdead” from honestjohn.co.uk brought up. Why were the maintenance crews being reckless, and would the traffic cones do more damage if they had heavy bases?
Uses of Delineator Posts
Most people don’t know what a delineator post is. It’s main function is to mark an area so that cars and construction equipment know not to go beyond those markings. They usually have reflective tape so that even at night cars know where not to go.
Delineator posts are meant to be impact resistant, but how resistant they are depends on the brand. I am not going to go into brands in this post, but some can take impacts up to 60 MPH+ and still be okay. Delineator posts can come with bases, with stakes that go into the ground or pavement (though pre-made holes are necessary to stick delineators into pavement or a hard surface.