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VIDEO: Cone Zone campaign focused on protecting roadside workers in BC

The Cone Zone campaign has been educating the public for the past 12 years raising awareness about protecting roadside workers across the province.

Spring and summer are busy months for construction and other road-related activity, which brings an increased safety risk for thousands of people in BC.

To help reduce the risk, the campaign has launched its call to action for drivers, employers and workers to do their part in preventing injuries and deaths.

It reminds people to slow down when approaching a ‘Cone Zone’, an area set up by roadside staff to protect themselves from harm.

Now, this doesn’t just apply to construction workers but also includes emergency crews, first responders, municipal workers, landscapers, tow truck operators and many more.

In the past year, two people have been killed in roadside work zones and 31 people have been severely injured; while in the past decade,12 people have been killed and 221 injured.

“The message is not only to drivers to slow down, pay attention, obey traffic safety personnel but it’s to employers who are obligated to provide a safe work zone for their employees at the side of the road, and to employees themselves, who have a responsibility to ensure their wearing proper personal protective equipment, to ensure their zone is set up safely,” explains Trace Acres, Program Director at Road Safety at Work.

“So, it’s really a collaborative effort and a message to all those people to ensure that we are working together to make sure that everyone who works at the roadside, does so safely.”

</who>Photo credit: ConeZoneBC

If there are vehicles with red, blue, or amber flashing lights stopped at the roadside, the province’s “Slow Down, Move Over” law applies.

That requires drivers to slow to 70 km/h if the posted speed limit is greater than 80 km/h, but if the posted speed is less than 80 km/h, drivers need to slow to 40 km/h.

When travelling on a multilane road, the law says drivers should always be prepared to move over to the left lane and increase the space between their vehicle and the work zone, if it’s safe to do so.

“Our roadside workers are making sure our roads and highways are safe, and we can do our part to ensure their safety by slowing down and following safety signage,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.

“All workers have a right to work in a safe environment and the Cone Zone campaign is a great reminder for drivers.”

While the campaign runs from now until Aug. 31, the messages taught about roadside safety should always remain a top priority for BC residents.



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