In 2018, two of them died and another 29 were injured. Between 2009 and 2018, 13 were killed and 213 were injured.
It’s hard to believe the aforementioned statistics relate to roadside workers in B.C. and the fates they meet when hit by vehicles.
To counter the alarming numbers, the RCMP Lower Mainland District Integrated Road Safety Unit is partnering with the Work Zone Safety Alliance and WorkSafeBC to raise awareness about the risks workers face while working on or alongside the road.
The B.C. Cone Zone Campaign, now in its ninth year, sets out to remind employers, workers and drivers to obey the law when approaching a cone zone, to prevent deaths and injuries to roadside workers in B.C.
The campaign will include an enforcement blitz at worksites in the Lower Mainland for members of the driving public.
Tickets to drivers can range from $196 for disobeying a flag person to $368 for using an electronic device while driving.
The social and economic costs resulting from a loss of life or serious injury are much higher.
“Sadly, just 10 days ago in Kamloops there was yet another incident of a flag person being struck and injured by a vehicle whose driver ignored her signals,” said Harry Bains, B.C.’s Minister of Labour.
“The Cone Zone campaign is a timely reminder to all drivers: while a flagger may wear a safety vest instead of a police badge, their direction is not a suggestion – it’s the law. And their lives are on the line.”
Cone zones are work areas set up by roadside workers to protect themselves and the driving public.
Road-maintenance crews, tow truck operators, first responders, municipal workers and other roadside workers all depend on drivers to respect the cone zone to keep their workplaces safe.
The B.C. Cone Zone Campaign coincides with the increase in roadside work throughout the province in the spring and summer.
As construction activity increases in the busy spring and summer construction months, drivers are being asked to slow down when driving through a cone zone and pay attention to instructions from traffic control persons, temporary road signs and traffic control devices.
Major provincial projects scheduled and underway during the 2019 spring and summer include:
• Highway 7: Widening in Mission
• Highway 4: Kennedy Hill – Between Port Alberni and the West Coast of Vancouver Island
• Highway 1: Lower Lynn phases 2 and 4 – Keith Rd. /Seymour Parkway I/C, Lynn Creek Connectivity Improvements
• Highway 5: Carolin Creek Bridge Deck Rehab – Between Hope and the Coquihalla Summit
• Highway 7: Haney Bypass – Maple Ridge
There will also be more than 30 kilometres of upgrades in the City of Vancouver’s network, including 13 km of water and sewer main work.
