NCHRP 10-78Nighttime Construction Impacts onSafety, Quality, and Productivity

Jennifer S. Shane, Ph.D.Iowa State University

Research ObjectiveDevelop guidelines for the conduct of nighttime highway construction and maintenance operations. Two products:

▫Final report that documents conduct of the research.

▫Guidebook for planning and conducting nighttime construction projects.

Guidebook Topics•Risk•Illumination•Nuisances•Productivity•Quality•Cost•Safety•Communication

Phase I•Literature Review

•Survey of state transportation agencies

The Guide document relies heavily on comments received from the state DOTs and contractors.

Literature Review

Solution

Author

Arditi et al.

Arditi et al.

Sayer and Mefford

Ullman et al.

Arditi et al.

Ullman et al.

MasayukiAbraham

et al.

2000 2003 2004 2004 2005 2005 2006 2007

Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)

N N N N N N

Different site conditions – lighting, weather, traffic volumes

N N

GC Safety plans N

Management N

Crash rates N N

TC planning N N

Speed Control N

Accident factors N N N N

Survey

Perceived Disadvantages

0 5 10 15 20 25

Visibility problems

Higher worker accident rates

Higher traffic accident rates

Inferior work quality

Higher construction costs

Material availability problems

Worker and equipment scheduling problems

Noise

Decreased productivity

Equipment maintenance problems

Number of Responses

Not important at all

Somewhat important

Very Important

Extremely Important

Phase II

State

Type of Data Collection

Case Study/Interview

Field Measurement

California x  Connecticut x  Florida x xIowa x  Illinois x xIndiana x xMichigan x  North Carolina x  New Jersey x  xTexas x  Washington x  

Phase II

GuidebookSymbol Section Name Content

Key Take-Away An indicator of key, not-to-forget information—for quick reference

Tips Possible tips for using information

Other Resources

Sources of useful

informationo Interneto Literatureo Agency or groupo Reports

Development Phase

Typical Activities

Planning Determine purpose and needScoping Conduct environmental analysis,

conduct schematic development, hold public hearings, determine right-of-way impact,

Design Acquire right-of-way; develop plans, specifications, and estimates

Advertise and Bid

Prepare contract documents, advertise for bid, hold a pre-bid conference, and receive and analyze bids.

Construction Determine the lowest responsive bidder

Key Take-Away

KeyTake-Away

Top five effective ways to manage site safety are:

1.Pre-project planning for safety

2.Safety orientation and training

3.Written safety incentive programs

4.Accident/Incident investigations

5.Alcohol and substance abuse program

Safety

KeyTake-Away

 Contract specifications provide varying levels of detail concerning required work zone lighting levels. The more quantitative the specifications the better, because they provide a measurable outcome that STAs can easily check. Drive-through inspections are of great importance but are not sufficient for ensuring proper work zone lighting levels.

Key Take-Away

Lighting

TipTIP 3-1 Drive-through inspections: Many DOT

inspectors focus on minimizing veiling luminance by decreasing the amount of light incident on the eyes of the traveling public. This is done by changing the aiming of light towers.

Another method for decreasing glare is by increasing pavement luminance (i.e., increasing the lighting in the background). This can be achieved by increasing lighting in the distance ahead of the work zone.

Lighting

KeyTake-Away

Recommended illumination levels vary by task. Tasks requiring higher levels of precision need higher levels of lighting. A minimum illuminance of 54 lux needs to be maintained in general working areas for the safety of workers and the driving public.

Key Take-Away

ResourceResourc

eThe FHWA construction noise website

contains three important documents:

(1) a Construction Noise Handbook prepared by the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center;

(2) the Roadway Construction Noise Model computer program; and

(3) the Highway Construction Noise—Measurement, Prediction, and Mitigation Manual

www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/noise/construction_noise.

Nuisances

TipTIP 5-7 Work shift productivity was found not

to be directly correlated to shift wages in overtime shifts. It was found to correlate more to the amount of downtime on a particular shift. Therefore, higher nighttime wages may not cause an increase in

productivity. Management policy should focus on work continuity at night rather than monetary incentives.

Cost $ $ $ $

KeyTake-Away

For most projects, the cost of work items is not dependent on whether the work is performed during the day or at night. Project-specific conditions are the drivers that cause price differentials between daytime and nighttime work.

Key Take-Away Cost

KeyTake-Away

The key to economical nighttime construction is competition.Structure the bid package to entice contractors to bid. Through conversations with subcontractors and suppliers, contractors have a good feel for the bidding environment and, if there’s competition, they will not put extra markup on a nighttime project.

Key Take-Away

Tip

TIP 8-2 Change vehicle and equipment paint to attention-grabbing colors. Add retroreflective tape to construction vehicles and equipment.

Safety

Key PointsArea Keys to SuccessIllumination Provide proper illumination through

planning and design; required for productivity, quality, and safety.

Nuisances Write nuisance control measure into the project specifications.

Productivity Detailed planning and scheduling, with extra labor training, will improve productivity.

Quality Specify the desired quality; some activities will benefit from cooler temperatures and less traffic congestion.

Key PointsArea Key to SuccessCost Decrease lighting costs by designing and

phasing the project so that permanent lighting is installed early. Consider the additional costs of lighting, nuisance mitigation, and traffic control in the estimate, but also consider productivity impacts of less congestion and longer work periods.

Safety Priority one on every jobsite is safety, for the workers and the public. Night work requires detailed traffic control planning.

Communication Provide honest, timely information to the public regarding the project. On-site personnel must have authority to make decisions.

RelationshipsThe factors were explored individually. However, there is interaction between factors and they are not mutually exclusive. For example, nighttime projects require lighting. Lighting will add cost, which could be considered an issue. However, good lighting improves productivity, quality, and safety of the nighttime jobsite.

Jennifer S. Shane, Ph.D.Iowa State UniversityCivil, Const., & Environmental Engr.515-294-1703jsshane@iastate.edu