Highways Agency - Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers

Strategic Action Areas

The following are the seven key areas identified to improve road worker safety. These have been developed into this action plan that will be monitored to ensure implementation. The areas of work proposed along with the existing work together will improve road worker safety.

• Carry out an urgent review of operations that require roadworkers to be exposed to live traffic with a view to reducing the risks and change the requirements to have signs in the central reserve which require the crossing of live carriageways.
• Review and revise maintenance priorities to reduce the number of visits and ad-hoc repairs and maintenance, so cutting the need for road workers to be on the network.
• Introduce more targeted speed limits at road works, which can be altered to match the safety requirements. This will be combined with increased use of average speed detection equipment and other methods of influencing road users to drive safety.
• Improve accuracy and content of variable message signs to give clearer messages to road users about road works and the presence of road workers. Require more use of vehicle activated signs that warn drivers that they are exceeding the speed limit.
• Produce proposals for improved training for workers on high-speed roads and agree requirements for appropriate training for all workers on the Highways Agency's network.
• Develop proposals with industry for more publicity to promote better driver awareness and support improved driver education.
• With industry, develop an incident and near miss reporting call centre to support the ongoing improvements in data collection, analysis, learning and publicity.

The key action areas and ongoing work will be monitored by the Highways Agency and industry and key stakeholders will be invited to play a key role in delivering these actions.