Portable Sign Stands: Make Sure You're Visible

If you are a supervisor in a road construction company or you run a business along the same lines, it is a good idea to invest in portable sign stands.

It is a grim fact that over 800 road construction workers have been killed between 1995 and 2004. More than half of these fatalities have been attributed to workers being struck by vehicles or mobile equipment.

You could minimize accidents like these from occurring by making sure that your workers are visible to oncoming traffic.

One way is to have one of your workers be the designated traffic guard. Different from a crossing guard, a traffic guard directs traffic through a road construction site. Also known as flagmen or flaggers, it is a traffic guard’s responsibility that they make sure traffic moves smoothly and safely, not just for their co-workers but also for the motoring public.

While traffic guards are usually seen as construction workers because of how they are dressed, some countries have traffic guards be in security uniforms to better distinguish them from their colleagues.

However a traffic guard is dressed, make sure that he or she is be using the proper equipment. These include signal flags, reflectorized vests, signal flares and signaling batons.

Traffic guards are however just a small aspect in making sure that road constructions are safe. The proper road signs are an equally important piece of equipment to use.

Portable sign stands are something that a road construction site cannot do without. The value of having a portable sign stand is that you can use different traffic signs on it. Their relative affordability means that you can use more than one on your site. Using more than one increases the safety factor and goes a long way in preventing accidents to your construction site.

All in all, portable road signs should always be used in conjunction to traffic guards to make sure that your workers are visible to oncoming traffic.

The signs to be used on these portable sign stands are typically colored orange, which is the recommended color for temporary traffic control signs. Choose signs that are no less than 30” in size. Also, you could also choose signs that are made from fluorescent vinyl mesh. These types of signs are lightweight and easy to transport.

The need to ensure the safety of your workers cannot be overstated. Your workers are your assets and making sure that they are safe even in dangerous conditions will certainly help promote viability of your business. Accidents can carry with them the threat of litigation which can be costly to your business. And even if litigations do not occur after an accident, the perceived lack of safety can erode the confidence in your business which in turn can affect it adversely.

Also, one should remember that workers that are safe are also happy. And happy workers are productive ones.

Besides that, safe working conditions go a long way in instilling confidence in your clients, investors and shareholders. It therefore makes very good business sense to promote the concept of safety in your workplace.