What It's Like For Us
Speeding vehicles. Verbal abuse. Drunk drivers. These are just a few of the dangers Alberta’s 10,000 road construction workers and snowplow operators experience year-round. This isn’t a new problem-it’s been going on for decades. Help reduce the negative experiences impacting our road construction workers. When you enter a road construction zone, remember to see the person. See more than the vest. Three road construction workers share their personal experiences working in road construction zones. Read on to learn what it’s like.
On average, we work a 15-hour day with minimal breaks. But that’s part of the job and we deal with it. The hardest part is dealing with road rage. People get so angry just because they need to slow down or stop for a few minutes. They swear, shout insults out their windows—sometimes they’ll even shoulder the road and spin their tires to toss rocks at us.
I started in road construction to help up save-up for a trip to Australia. It’s tough, and you need thick skin—I’ve been called every name in the book! Most people can’t take the constant harassment from drivers, and younger workers like me face the brunt of the abuse. I watched one man get out of his car, push a flagger to the ground and spit on her. She quit that day.
Being a flagger was really hard at first—I didn’t think I’d last a week. The hours are long and people treat you like crap. But some people are really cool! One lady brought us lunch and drinks on a super hot day. That kindness really helps offset the negative sides of the job. I would say the scariest part is when people just aren’t paying attention and they don’t see you. Sometimes they’re on their phones or eating, and they just come flying up and you literally need to jump out of the way. You hear about other flaggers being hit, and I pray it doesn’t happen to me or anyone on my crew.
Take the Quiz and Win
We understand there’s a lot to know when it comes to road construction safety. So we’ve developed a quiz with hints to help you understand how to safely approach a road construction or snowplow zone. The more you know, the better driver you’ll become—plus you’ll help increase the number of positive experiences for road construction workers.
Once you pass the quiz, you’ll be entered into a draw to win an Ultimate Drivers Education package from AMA and free gas for a year (value of approx. $3,000!). And don’t worry––if you don’t know the answers to a question, we’ll provide a hint.
The Numbers Don't Lie
All year long, Alberta’s road construction workers and snowplow operators suffer too many incidents and fatalities. When you choose to see more than the vest, you help to reduce negative experiences-for the workers and for you. These statistics are derived from three years of cumulative data. We hope your generation will be the one to lower these numbers. The generation that improves-even saves-the lives of our road construction workers.
Join Us
Formed in 2003, The Partners in Road Construction Safety (PIRCS) is a concerned group of public and private sector organizations with the goal of reducing the more than 900 collisions and millions of dollars in property damages that occur every year in road and utility construction zones in Alberta. Throughout the years, we’ve done a lot of great work in reaching our goal-and that progress wouldn’t be possible without our partners.
Interested in joining us? We’d love to have you on board. Send us an email directly.
