OTW Safety needs hi-res photos of our products.  Send us any hi-res photos you have of our products and we will send you a $50 check and if your photo makes it into our printed literature we will send you a $400 check!!!  What are you waiting for?  Get out there and make some money.

OTW Safety has done it again and revolutionized the crowd control barricade market again with The Adapter. Now you can seamlessly integrate the already amazing Plastic CC42x96 with your current steel crowd control barricade fleet.  This simple device uses the auxiliary hole in the CC42x96 to attach to any steel crowd control barricade on the market.  Use The Adapter to integrate the CC42x96 into your crowd control barricade fleet without having to replace your entire old fleet all at once.

Indianapolis, IN (PRWEB) March 27, 2012
A forward-thinking group of manufacturers represented by the Water Barrier Manufacturers Association have developed a new technology that brings balance to construction-zone safety: extending equal protection to workers and travelers. They’re called water-filled LCDs — longitudinal channelizing devices.

These new LCDs exchange hazardous concrete with more forgiving materials: plastic and water. They absorb impact and deform, protecting travelers from the high G-forces of concrete barriers, which are essentially brick walls.

Testing conducted under the auspices of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program has shown that vehicle impacts with LCDs generated roughly half the G forces of impacts with concrete barriers. Not surprising when you consider that LCDs were developed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which regulates work-zone safety through its manual of industry standards, the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).

Despite their acceptance into the MUTCD standards, LCDs continue to be ignored throughout the industry. In fact, many states have prohibited the use of LCDs and exclude them from their regulatory guidelines. The New Product Committee of the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department has failed to approve such devices. Their colleagues in Arizona removed them from a list of approved products. Indiana, Kansas, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wisconsin have restricted the use of LCDs.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 40,000 workers and travelers were injured in construction-zone accidents in 2007 and 831 were killed. And while work-zone accidents represent a perilous situation for both drivers and workers, the risk is skewed toward the traveling public.

Studies from the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 85 percent of those killed in construction-zone accidents are motorists and their passengers. Construction workers, it seems, are well protected. But their protection comes at the expense of motorists.

One contributing factor is concrete barriers or “jersey barriers.” Roughly three feet tall and featuring an angled base leading into a rectangular upper portion, concrete barriers were developed at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, hence the nickname. The New Jersey State Highway Department first used them to redirect traffic around work zones in 1955, and they’ve been the standard for the industry ever since.

And therein lies the problem. While all other aspects of transportation infrastructure have taken on modern adaptations, construction barriers still employ a technology developed six decades ago.

To be more precise, the problem lines in the blanket application of concrete barriers. In work zones where positive protection is required to keep vehicles on the roadway, concrete barriers placed parallel to traffic provide a suitable solution. But where barriers are not needed, and only a gating barricade is needed to delineate traffic patterns, safer and more suitable alternatives are available.

In its Roadside Design Guide, the Task Force for Roadside Safety states that “the primary purpose of all roadside barriers is to prevent a vehicle from leaving the traveled way and striking a fixed object or terrain feature that is considered more objectionable than the barrier itself.”

While keeping vehicles on their designated path of the roadway is an admirable goal, monolithic concrete barriers would seem to be far more objectionable. Consider the story of Don Wayne Teller.

On January 17, Teller was behind the wheel of a 1996 Chevrolet traveling through Las Vegas, Nevada.

According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Teller was headed west on Sunset Road near Hauck Street. The Chevy skidded into a construction zone where it smashed into a concrete “jersey barrier,” officers wrote, projecting the vehicle into a nearby flood-control channel.

Firefighters used extrication tools (“Jaws of Life”) to free 62-year-old Teller from the wreckage. Paramedics then airlifted him to University Medical Center for treatment.

Locals told investigators it wasn’t the first time they’ve seen a vehicle smash into the unforgiving concrete barriers. But Teller can consider himself lucky: he survived. Others have been less fortunate.

Until State DOT’s and their consulting engineers adopt safer alternatives that consider the safety of workers and travelers alike, those like Don Wayne Teller will continue to risk their lives when they get behind the wheel.

Blind adherence to tradition may suit certain forces in the transportation industry. But, for the rest of us, it’s a matter of life and death.

Justin Schneider, http://findmyaccident.com Editorial Director

FindMyAccident’s single vision is to help those whose lives are affected by traumatic accidents. Drawing expertise from the fields of law, journalism, business and technology, we’ve built a comprehensive resource to help people during their time of crisis. Each member of our core leadership team brings more than 10 years of experience to the table. That knowledge provides FindMyAccident with a unique perspective on several accident types, with an eye on injury recovery, victims’ rights and innovative partnerships.

Marc Christensen, Executive Director The Water Barrier Manufacturers Association

The Water Barrier Manufacturers Association is the premier national association representing plastic water ballast device manufacturers. We are organized to address common needs, solve common problems and accomplish goals related to research, market development, local promotion, design, construction and best practices of water filled plastic traffic control devices.

On Tuesday the Water Barrier Manufactures Association petitioned the Federal High Way Association about Section 6F.63 of the 2009 MUTCD.  Section 6F.63 allows the name and telephone number of the highway agency, contractor, or supplier to be displayed on the nonreflective surface of a device as indicated in paragraphs 15 and 16 of this section:

Option:

15. The name and telephone number of the highway agency, contractor, or supplier may be displayed on the nonretroreflective surface of all types of channelizing devices.

Standard:

16. The letters and numbers of the name and telephone number shall be non-retroreflective and not over2 inches in height.

“The Water Barrier Manufacturers’ Association, on behalf of its manufacturing members, would like to formally petition the FHWA to allow the embossing of manufacturers logos on the face of channelizing devices. These logos, if located where there will be no reflective tape, would be nearly invisible to a passing motorist.” -Marc Christensen Executive Director of WBMA

Attached is the letter that was submitted on Tuesday.

Letter to FHWA

The WBMA has found commonly used work zone traffic control barriers manufactured by Energy Absorption Systems and Trinity Industries are not in compliance with MUTCD guidelines, creating a liability for the users of these devices.

In researching the regulations pertaining to branding traffic control devices for one of its members, the Water Barrier Manufacturers Association has found that branding is not allowed on work zone devices. Manufacturers branding their products are not compliant with MUTCD regulations, creating a liability issue for contractors utilizing these devices for work zone safety.

According to Mark Kehrli, Director, Office of Transportation Operations with the FHWA, paragraphs 15 and 16 in Section 6F.63 of the 2009 MUTCD, specifically paragraph 15 does not allow the manufacturers name to be displayed on traffic control devices, unless the manufacturer is also the supplier and owner of the devices. See the official interpretation number and title 6(09)-11 (I) – “Use of Manufacturers Names and Company Logos on Channelizing Devices”, dated January 3, 2012.

This issue is a conflict for those manufacturers that would like to brand their products but stay in compliance with MUTCD regulations. In an effort to level the playing field, The Water Barrier Manufacturers’ Association plans to petition the FHWA on behalf of all water filled barrier manufacturers to allow the embossing of the manufacturers information on the face of channelizing devices. If the markings are located where there will be no reflective tape, the name and company logo will be nearly invisible to a passing motorist. Until this can be accomplished, the Triton and Yodock devices will continue to be non-compliant and a potential liability to contractors.

The logo is not only much larger than allowed, but only the owner of the device being used in the work zone is allowed this type of marking.Much larger than the 2 inch characters allowed by the MUTCD regualtions

Not all crowd control barricades are created equal. OTW Safety’s crowd control barricades legs will fold flat and stack for easy storage saving you time and money! Give us a call today and find out how we can help make your events better!

We have a situation here at OTW Safety and no, this situation’s name isn’t Mike. We have extra stock on our MB42x45 Longitudinal Channelizing Devices so we are going to pass the savings on to you. When you order 6 or more MB42x45 LCD barricades we will give them to you for $99 each! Improve your work zone safety with this Longitudinal Channelizing Device that will help keep your work zones the safest they can be for workers and people traveling through your work zone. The MB42x45 from OTW Safety creates clear paths of travel with no confusion. This deal is only good on our remaining stock so move fast on this one.

The purpose of this PowerPoint is to supplement the airport specific training for construction personnel working on or adjacent to runways and taxiways addressing the Construction Safety Plan and airport ground vehicle/pedestrian procedures. Pass this on and together we can make Airport Construction safer.

After a shoulder injury and battling a sinus infection Morgan Burger is back on a motorcycle. With his most recent finish in Munich, Germany Morgan grabbed a couple top ten finishes while riding the Motorrad Meyer Racing Red Honda!

http://www.motoxaddicts.com/2011/12/17/race-results-munich-supercross-german-sx-series/?fb_ref=.Tu6A5xXEO2Q.like&fb_source=profile_oneline

Over 600 fatalities occur every year in work zones around the nation, despite very successful efforts to minimize work zone safety hazards. These are some of the most problematic areas of roadways, and accidents are often attributed to driver inattentiveness, excessive speed and lack of proper highway safety equipment. Placement of the correct signs and barriers can be of great assistance in reducing fatalities and injuries in construction work zones.

Work zone safety starts with placing the proper equipment on roadways to warn drivers to slow down and be aware. For instance, one-lane traffic zones that are not staffed by full-time workers must have temporary traffic signals erected to direct traffic flow. Retroreflective signs in combination with safety devices can be installed to delineate work areas and protect workers. Speed limit signs notifying drivers of appropriate speeds to be observed in a work zone have also helped to save lives. The objective is to make a work area as visible as possible while informing drivers of their role in keeping workers safe.

On average, during the last half of the 1990’s, about 16% of fatalities in work zone crashes were pedestrians. For the most part, those pedestrians were people working within the designated work space who subsequently became victims of traffic accidents. Historically, speed is a factor in almost all work zone fatalities, an illustration that drivers simply drive too fast for conditions in the work zone. Posting consequences for drivers who violate traffic construction zone rules has been shown to be effective in gaining driver compliance. In some states drivers may receive a $7,500 fine and up to 15 years in prison for injuring or killing a road worker.

Hundreds of fatalities and thousands of accidents occur in work zones across the nation annually. These are largely a result of inadequate signage and ineffective instruction for drivers entering work zones. Properly placed signage and specialized highway safety equipment help to both warn drivers of dangerous construction areas and to educate them on how to navigate those dangerous areas.

(source: impactrecovery.com)