BC Flaggers Urge Drivers to Smarten Up

Construction zone flaggers are urging British Columbia drivers to show more caution after a flag person was struck by a vehicle that been driven through safety cones.

The female worker was not seriously injured in the incident in the metropolitan Vancouver area, which police say may have involved a combination of alcohol and speeding.

“People are just in such a hurry and it’s like they all have tunnel vision,” says Diane Herback, a spokeswomen for the British Columbia flaggers. “They are not looking around them when they are driving. They are texting, putting on makeup and doing whatever in their cars.

She says drivers need to slow down and pay more attention in work zones and police presence needs to be stepped up to catch drivers who speed through work zones. If that doesn’t happen, Herback says flaggers may have to resort to shutting down a road or a bridge for a rally to catch drivers’ attention.

According to WorkSafeBC, two flaggers died and 15 others suffered injuries on the job in 2009.

Info to go: Read more about highway work zone hazards by clicking on the Info to Go safety links at www.SafeSupervisor.com