Tagged with 'MUTCD'

What's a SMIDSY?

HiVis-Supply-Vest

 

 

High visibility safety vest made from 100% cotton, with a zipper closure on the front, a chest pocket, and two large lower pockets for tools. This safety vest meets all MUTCD standards. Comes in the color orange.

  • 100% cotton

  • Zipper front closure

  • Chest pocket, two lower large pockets

  • Meets MUTCD standards


 

SMIDSY happens to be an Australian term, that stands for, "Sorry Mate I Didn't See You". It's a term that motorcyclists and bicyclists use to refer to the crashes when a car doesn't see them, and apparently it's used far too often.


 

Recently released figures show it is time for vehicle drivers to stop blaming motorcyclists for car/bike accidents. The statistics show that nearly half of all motorcycling accidents were caused by vehicle drivers and three-quarters of them occurred at intersections. Motorcyclists refer to drivers failing to see them as SMIDSY.




 

SMIDSY - adj. Describes an accident caused by the driver of a car failing to see a cyclist or pedestrian. Also: Smidsy. [From the phrase, Sorry, mate, I didn't see you.]




 

Simon Best, IAM chief executive, said: "SMIDSY moments are happening far too often, and very few people are prepared to take responsibility for their part in them. It's always someone else's fault. All road users need to be more aware of who they are sharing the road with, and the risks they present. —Chris Knapman, "Drivers reminded to look out for vulnerable road users," The Telegraph, April 17, 2012


 

Wiggo's status as national treasure means this particular SMIDSY event gets widely reported. SMIDSY is the excuse inattentive motorists give to the cyclists and motorcyclists they skim or hit: "Sorry mate I didn't see you." —Carlton Reid, "Bradley Wiggins is hit by a car, then the cyclist haters pile in," The Guardian, November 8, 2012

 

Choose Hi Vis Supply for all fo your hivis safety vest and high vis gear.

 

Flagging for Road and Bridge Construction



Per the Florida Department of Tranportation (FDOT) regulations on road and bridge construction, contractors must provide trained flaggers "...to direct traffic where one-way. Operation in a single lane is in effect and in other situations as required. 



 

The Worksite Traffic Supervisor or others as approved by the Department will provide training for flaggers."



 

Flaggers are often the first line of defense for roadside and highway crews (see poster).
Basic skills include:



 

 

  • The Right Signals for stopping, alerting and allowing traffic to proceed

  • The Right Gear Class II or Class III high visibility vests, shirts and foul-weather gear

  • The Right Sign Spacing stopping sight distances

  • The Right Setup

  • The Right Training Per jurisdiction








  • The Right Practices:




    • stand on shoulder in clear view

    • always face traffic

    • use clear hand signal

    • stay alert

    • always stand up

    • use authorized communication devices



 

Flaggers must be trained per the MUTCD Section 6E (Flagger Control), and Design Standards
Index 600 (Flagging Operations and Night Time Flagging) and (General
Information for Traffic Control through Work Zones). The field demonstration
shall be a dexterity test using hand-signaling devices (STOP/SLOW paddle and
flag) during flagging type operations and placement of traffic control devices.
Instructors may use training videos, handouts, computer based training, or
other methods to ensure that the flagger has demonstrated knowledge and
proficiency in flagging operations (per FDOT). No formal submittal of this course to the
MOTC for review is required. No time requirement is set for the training, but
the instructor will be required to keep a record of persons they have
successfully trained and the date they were trained.

FHWA Ruling on ANSI/ISEA Garments for Public Safety Personnel



FHWA Mandates High-visibility Safety Apparel Meeting ISEA Standards for All Workers in Highway Rights-of-Way, Workzones


 

The 2009 revision to the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), published by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) yesterday, requires workers, including emergency responders, along highway rights-of-way or in workzones to wear high-visibility apparel whenever they are exposed to moving traffic, work vehicles or construction equipment. The apparel must meet Performance Class 2 or 3 requirements of ANSI/ISEA 107-2004, the American National Standard for High Visibility Safety Apparel and Headwear. This requirement also applies to firefighters, emergency responders and law enforcement personnel working within the right-of-way. As an option, emergency responders and law enforcement personnel may wear garments that meet the standard for high-visibility public safety vests, ANSI/ISEA 207-2006. A separate section of the MUTCD, which covers specific requirements for flaggers, also requires the use of ANSI/ISEA 107-compliant apparel, and specifies that background material must be fluorescent orange-red, fluorescent yellow-green "or a combination of the two as specified in the ANSI standard."


 


Previously, the FHWA only required workers in federal-aid highway workzones to use these garments.


 

The revised MUTCD states: "All workers, including emergency responders, within the right-of-way who are exposed to traffic (vehicles using the highway for purposes of travel) or to work vehicles and construction equipment within the [Temporary Traffic Control] zone shall wear high-visibility safety apparel that meets the Performance Class 2 or 3 requirements of the ANSI/ISEA 107-2004 publication entitled ‘American National Standard for High-Visibility Safety Apparel and Headwear’ (see Section 1A.11) or equivalent revisions, and labeled as meeting the ANSI 107-20004 standard performance for Class 2 or 3 risk exposure, except as provided in paragraph 5… Emergency and incident responders and law enforcement personnel within the [Temporary Traffic Control] zone may wear high-visibility safety apparel that meets the performance requirements of the ANSI/ISEA 207-2006 publication entitled ‘American National Standard for High-Visibility Public Safety Vests’ (see Section 1A.11) or equivalent revisions, and labeled as ANSI 207-2006, in lieu of ANSI/ISEA 107-2004 apparel…"


 


The revised MUTCD takes effect January 15, 2010. Workers on non-federal highways will have to be in compliance with the high-visibility safety apparel requirements by December 31, 2011.

Roll-Up Construction Signs



MUTCD Standard:

The needs and control of all road users (motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians within the highway, including persons with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), Title II, Paragragh 35.130) through a TTC (temporary traffic control) zone shall be an essential part of highway construction, utility work, maintenance operations, and the management of traffic incidents.

CONSTRUCTION signs are orange diamonds specifically used only to WARN drivers about construction and work zone activity.

Quick to set up and highly visible, roll-up signs provide temporary warning along roads, danger areas, and construction sites. Easy to take down and roll up for compact storage and portability.

Constructed of lightweight, flexible fabric, these safety-orange signs have contrasting black messages and symbols from the Standard Highway Signs Manual, as specified in the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). They provide temporary warnings of roadway changes and hazards ahead.

These diamond shaped signs are available each in 36" x 36" or 48" x 48" in three fabrics:

• Non-Reflective Mesh is PVC extruded over polyster strands, ideal for daytime applications.

• Fluorescent Vinyl is non-reflective fabric-reinforced, UV stable vinyl with bright fluorescence for daytime use only.

• Reflective Vinyl is high-intesity, retro-reflective sheeting bonded to vinyl-coated, fiber-reinforced nylon fabric, ideal for attention-getting and low-light conditions.

For these and other available traffic, roadside workzone devices, and all of your hi-visibility needs, visit hivissupply.com.

Road Construction and Workzone Hazards



Highway crews routinely work in hazardous conditions, near construction vehicles and motor vehicle traffic. Flaggers and other workers on foot are exposed to the risk of being struck by traffic vehicles or construction equipment if they are not visible to motorists or equipment operators. Drivers who operate construction vehicles or equipment risk collision, rolling, and being caught in running equipment. Regardless of their assigned job, lighting can be poor with low visibility and bad weather, and exposure to high traffic congestion and speeds is imminent.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHA) has developed and maintained the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which provides for uniform design and setup of highway work zones. The primary focus of Part 6 of the MUTCD is the interaction between the road user and the work zone. The MUTCD contains exhaustive specifications for signage, pavement and curb markings, traffic signals, and marking of school zones, bicycle facilities and highway-rail crossings. It outlines temporary traffic control measures for lane closures and shifts, detours, shoulder work, median crossovers, mobile operations, and blasting. The MUTCD also addresses topics such as training, personal protective equipment (PPE), speed reduction, barriers, and lighting, as they apply to highway construction. It also provides for uniform design and setup of highway work zones, and includes guidance for the development of temporary traffic control plans (TCPs) that determine the flow of traffic through work zones.

OSHA construction industry regulations address operation of vehicles and equipment within an off-highway job site not open to public traffic. It does cover types of machinery and safety equipment, but it does not address work practices, traffic control plans, or shift work. Flagging and signaling practices are discussed in general which also covers signs, signals, and barricades.

Compliance with the MUTCD and OSHA regulations is a necessary first step in providing a safe work environment, but lacks comprehensive guidance to ensure worker safety in highway work zones. To help identify these gaps in standards and regulations and to compile additional prevention measures to enhance worker safety, NIOSH undertook a comprehensive review of scientific literature, fatality and injury data, and current safety research.

Between OSHA, MUTCD and NIOSH standards and guidelines, a properly defensed workzone can often seem a daunting task. At HiVis Supply, we offer high visibility apparel and safety vests for the worker and traffic control devices for the workzone that can ensure a safe environment for those men and women paving the way for us all.

Mandating the MUTCD Final Rule for High Visibility

This excerpt comes from an article written on the ML Kishigo blog Understanding the MUTCD Final Rule.


Proper understanding of compliance issues is just as important to the smooth operation of companies that are mandated to comply, as it is to the safety of their employees. A clearer picture of the MUTCD regulations it defines is essential.

On December 16th 2009, the Federal Register Final Rule and the revised 2009 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) were released. The ruling establishes the MUTCD as the primary regulatory document mandating the use of high-visibility apparel for all affected workers in the United States. The primary aspect of the ruling however, lies in the mandated class of garment and the environments in which affected workers are required to comply.

In October of 2008 the Federal Highway Administration, or FHWA, mandated the use of Class 2 and Class 3 high visibility garments on all Federal-Aid highways. The new MUTCD ruling solidifies the FHWA mandate, which took affect in 2008. Additionally, between the time of the October mandate and the publication of the MUTCD ruling, the FHWA expanded the mandate of the affected regulation areas from just Federal-aid highways to cover all roads which are open to public travel. Compliance to this amended regulation will be phased in until it takes full effect on December 31st, 2011. The one exclusion is private property in which you pass through a traffic control gate.

High-visibility Clothing for Highway Workers Mandatory by Dec. 31

 










photo by Earl Dotter

On December 16, 2009, The Federal Register Final Rule and revised document of the 2009 Manual on Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) was released, marking the final phase-in for compliance on all public roads that are not federal-aid highways by Dec. 31, 2011. The regulation for federal-aid highways has been in force since November 2008.

The purpose of the regulation is to decrease the likelihood of worker fatalities or injuries caused by motor vehicles and construction vehicles and equipment while working within the right-of-way on highways whether they’re federally aided or not. The definitions described are as follows:

Workers - people on foot whose duties place them within the right-of-way of a Federal-aid highway, such as highway construction and maintenance forces, survey crews, utility crews, responders to incidents within the highway right-of-way, and law enforcement personnel when directing traffic, investigating crashes, and handling lane closures, obstructed roadways, and disasters within the right-of-way of a Federal- aid highway.



Close proximity - within the highway right-of-way on Federal-aid highways.


High-visibility safety apparel - personal protective safety clothing that is intended to provide conspicuity during both daytime and nighttime usage, and that meets the Performance Class 2 or 3 requirements of the ANSI/ ISEA 107–2004 publication entitled ‘‘American National Standard for High-Visibility Safety Apparel and Headwear.’’ Go to the U.S. National Archives for more information.


The rule for federal aid highways states that “all workers within the right-of-way of a Federal-aid highway who are exposed either to traffic (vehicles using the highway for purposes of travel) or to construction equipment within the work area shall wear high-visibility safety apparel."

HiVis Supply is a reseller of high visibility apparel including ANSI approved clothing, safety vests, traffic vests, hivis vests, ANSI Class 2, ANSI Class 3, ANSI 107-2004, ANSI 207, ANSI Class E, public safety vests. Visit our store for all of your high visibility apparel needs

Minimum Sign Retroreflectivity Timeline


Deadlines were established in 2007 to implement minimum levels of retroreflectivity for signage per the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).


Maintaining Minimum Retroreflectivity


1. January 22, 2012: By this date, roadway owners must adopt a plan to ensure that their signs meet Minimum Levels of Retroreflectivity by the dates cited below. The FHWA lists 5 options, among which are simple visual inspection and blanket replacement of groups of signs at the end of their “useful life” as stated by the manufacturer.


2. January 22, 2015: Regulatory and Warning Signs and Post-Mounted Signs must meet retroreflectivity requirements.


3. January 22, 2018: Overhead and Street Name signs must meet retroreflectivity requirements. If street name signs meet retroreflectivity requirements and are all CAPITAL letters, they may remain in service for the remainder of their useful life. They never have to be changed out only because of the capital letter/mixed case issue.

FHWA estimated the cost for making these retroreflectivity improvements throughout the entire United States to be $37 million dollars over a 10 year period. The reason that this figure is lower than some estimates reported in the media is that the implementation timetable detailed above was designed to roughly coincide with the useful life of existing signs. Thus, it is likely that most of them would have been replaced anyway.

For more information, check out the Sign Retroreflectivity Toolkit.
Also, check out the FHWA Sign Visibility page.


Fleece Lined Bomber Jacket
The fleece lined bomber jacket from ML Kishigo is ANSI/ISEA Class 3 compliant, and features a durable, waterproof shell with a fleece liner and fleece lined hood. In addition to the high visibility color material, the jacket also utilizes black material in the areas which most commonly get dirty - helping the jacket maintain a bright and clean appearance. The fleece lined hood is both removable and can also be hidden. Also includes, 2" wide 3M Scotchlite reflective material, right chest wallet pocket, left chest radio pocket, zipper slash side pockets and drawstring hood. Available in high visibility Lime and Orange; sizes M-5XL.
HiVis Supply is a reseller of high visibility apparel including ANSI approved clothing, safety vests and traffic vests for a variety of job duties like roadside construction, manufacturing and plant assembly.

Street Signs - What you Thought You Knew

Did you know that an "aging population" is taking over the U. S. roadways? Check out these statistics:

  • A person 65 years-old needs 4X the amount of light to see at night compared to a 25 year-old.

  • By 2025, The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety projects that 1 out of 4 drivers will be 65 or older.

  • The larger the sign, and increased retroreflectivity, allows for quicker decision-making for older drivers and faster response times by emergency personnel,  allowing them to more easily read and understand signs thus reducing travel times to emergency situations.

  • More than 50 percent of traffic accidents resulting in fatalities occur at night. Increased retroreflectivity helps to address this issue.


Street Signs

There are no requirements to replace “perfectly good signs” with new signs because of the mixed case standard. The requirements for mixed case letters in street signs generally apply when signs are replaced because of normal wear and tear. Thus, there is no added cost associated with this requirement.

Many media reports are factually incorrect when they state that signs must be replaced by January 2012. The only requirement for this date is that roadway owners have a sign management plan in place.

In 2000, the MUTCD established recommendations for minimum letter heights on street name signs. The MUTCD recommends 6” initial letter height for roads with speed limits of 40 mph or less with an option of 4” initial letter height for streets with speed limit 25 mph or less. Agencies need to evaluate and decide by January 2012 whether or not to use the recommended letter height or use an engineering study or engineering judgment to decide that a smaller letter height is acceptable.

In 2003, the MUTCD added a recommendation for letter heights of street name signs on multilane roads with speed limits greater than 40 mph. The MUTCD recommends 8” initial letter heights for post mounted and 12” letter height for overhead street name signs. Agencies need to evaluate and decide by December 2018 whether or not to use the recommended letter height or use an engineering study or engineering judgment to decide that a smaller letter height is acceptable.

Brilliant Series Class 2 Heavy Duty Vest
The Brilliant Series vests from ML Kishigo provide maximum visibility with a high visibility background material and 2" wide VizLite reflective tape with contrasting color, making it ANSI/ISEA 107 Class 2 compliant. This vest also utilizes Brilliant Trim reflective edging which considerably improves the vest's low light visibility. The reflective piping improves recognition of the wearer by distinguishing their silhouette from the other stationary objects around them. The vest is constructed of a durable and breathable 100% polyester mesh. Vest features include: zipper closure, mic tabs on chest, 2-tier pencil pocket, flapped radio pocket, inside patch pockets, outside cargo pockets with adjustable flaps, and reinforced webbing for added strength. Available in both high visibility Lime or Orange. Sizes M-5XL. HiVis
Supply is a reseller of high visibility apparel including hivis vests, ANSI Class 2 and ANSI Class 3 for a variety of job duties like
mining, surveying, forestry and power generator construction.

ISEA: High-Vis Public Safety Vests Meet FHWA Requirements for Work Zones

High-visibility protective garments are required for right-of-way workers, flaggers, and adult crossing guards in a document called the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which is the basis for federal and state highway regulations. These garments must be compliant with ANSI/ISEA 107, the American National Standard for High Visibility Safety Apparel and Headwear.

Public safety workers such as law enforcement, firefighters, and other emergency responders have the option of wearing high-visibility vests specifically designed for their use and compliant with the ANSI/ISEA 207, American National Standard for High-Visibility Public Safety Vests.

A revision to the MUTCD published in December 2009 mandates that public safety vests be labeled as compliant with the 2006 version of the standard, or a subsequent revision. ANSI approved the revision to the standard in 2011, and the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) requested an interpretation from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) that garments meeting the new standard would be acceptable, pointing out that the requirements of the two standards for daytime and nighttime visibility are essentially the same.

FHWA has agreed, and issued an official interpretation stating that the ANSI/ISEA 207-2011 standard is equivalent to the 2006 version, and that garments labeled as meeting the 2011 standard would be in compliance with the MUTCD requirements.

This article is a re-print from Feb 07, 2012 - Occupational Health and Safety.

PSV Pro 300 Series Police
Vest with Blue Trim


The PSV Pro 300 Series Police vest features a durable mesh material with color
coded fabric trim for proper public service department identification; along
with a high visibility 2" silver reflective material with contrasting background
color. Five point breakaway design; as well as snap up flaps to allow greater
accessibility to toolbelts and gear. Each vest includes two chest mic tabs. The
vest folds into a convenient pouch for storage. The vest also offers 4-season
adjustability to accomodate bulky coats.
Be sure to visit HiVis Supply for all of your hi vis safety vest needs including hi visibility vest for flaggers, hi-vis for incident command and emergency responders.
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