Tampere improves the safety of street construction works: VTT and the City develop new procedures and training for street workers

The safety of street construction sites in the City of Tampere is being improved thanks to new procedures and training developed jointly by VTT and the City. The City aims to reduce accident and traffic dangers on the sites of street construction works. Related safety training will be given to about 5,000 employees of the City and contractors. The City of Tampere plays a number of roles on street construction sites: planner, road keeper, client, subcontractor and employer. The City is also responsible for the safety of the traffic environment. The new procedures will clarify the City’s responsibilities in each role and will improve the safety of temporary traffic arrangements on street working sites. The Finnish Road Administration, which is the government authority responsible for the upkeep of public roads, has long required road workers to undergo road safety training developed by VTT and the authority. This was used as the basis for the City of Tampere’s own street safety training, which addresses the special challenges of street construction works. These include lack of space, pedestrian and cycle traffic, electrical, water and telecommunication services, and the inconvenience and hazards of street works for local residents. The fact that there may be workers from dozens of different city units on a single site and that a single unit may play a number of different roles on the site also poses a challenge. ”We got the basic rules as well as clear instructions necessary to take account of factors affecting work safety already at the planning stage of street construction works. The new practices will bring a better work safety culture to our field. That will improve safety on street construction sites and reduce traffic delays,” says Markku Kivistö, the Health & Safety Representative for the City of Tampere’s Technical Department. VTT and the City developed Tampere’s safety practices and street safety training packages with funding provided by the City and the Finnish Work Environment Fund. Other units of the City’s Technical Department will also be able to exploit the results of the project. The material can also be tailored to develop safety-enhancing practices for other cities and municipalities.