Before Work Begins: Escape Route Planning

Planning a Safe Way Out of the Work Zone

Work zones can change quickly. A vehicle enters unexpectedly. Equipment moves. Materials block a path that was clear earlier in the day.

When that happens, workers may have only seconds to move away from danger. Knowing where to go should never be a decision they are making for the first time in that moment.

For utilities, broadband providers, contractors and others managing traffic around active infrastructure work, that raises an important question: Does every person in the work zone know where to go if conditions suddenly become unsafe?

Ramon Moreno, EHS director for AWP Safety’s Mountain Business Unit, shares what companies should consider during escape route planning and how best to prepare crews to respond when every second counts.

Start with an Actual Work Environment

I’ve spent nearly 20 years working in public safety, including time as a police officer and EHS trainer, and before that I served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Across all of those roles, one lesson has stayed with me: You need to understand your surroundings before something goes wrong.

That is where escape route planning starts.

A highway project looks different from a neighborhood broadband installation. Utility work along a busy roadway creates different hazards than construction inside a data center campus. Traffic patterns, equipment, terrain and surrounding activity all affect where someone can safely move.

Before work starts, crews should identify hazards, obstacles, bottlenecks and possible routes away from danger.

The goal is to make those decisions while there is time to think them through. In an emergency, hesitation can cost valuable seconds.

Make Sure the Route Actually Leads Somewhere Safe

An open path is not automatically a safe escape route.

Whenever possible, the route should be on level ground and clear of barriers, guardrails, vehicles, equipment, construction materials and debris that could slow someone down or cause a fall.

Crews also have to look beyond the path itself. If a worker moves away from one hazard only to reach another active roadway, steep slope or piece of moving equipment, the escape route has not done its job. We need to think through where the route ends and what the worker will encounter when they get there.

That requires looking at the entire work environment, not simply finding the nearest open space.

Build Escape Routes Into the Pre-Job Conversation

An escape route only helps if the crew knows it, understands it and can use it quickly.

At AWP Safety, escape-route planning is part of the pre-job safety discussion. Before work begins, crews review site hazards, the day’s activities and what to do if conditions change.

For any infrastructure crew working in or near traffic, that discussion should cover:

• Where the escape route is located
• What hazards could affect it
• Where workers should go once they leave their position
• How the crew will communicate if a dangerous situation develops
• What warning systems or protective equipment are needed for the job

Traffic control measures, personal protective equipment and warning devices can provide additional layers of protection. They still depend on people knowing the plan and staying alert to what is happening around them.

Practice Before You Need It

Knowing where an escape route is and being ready to use it are two different things.

I want crews to physically walk the route before work begins. That helps confirm the path is clear, gives workers a chance to spot hazards they may not have noticed on paper and builds familiarity with where they need to go.

That practice becomes especially important if a vehicle enters the work area, equipment shifts unexpectedly or another serious hazard develops. In those moments, workers should be able to move without stopping to figure out the plan.

Crews should also reassess the route as conditions change. Equipment gets moved. Materials arrive. Work shifts to another location. A path that was clear in the morning may be blocked or less safe later in the day.

That’s the bigger lesson: An escape route is not something you identify once and forget. It needs to remain usable for as long as the work is underway.

Know When Traffic Control Requires More planning

Escape routes are one part of a larger traffic management plan.

Companies managing traffic around their own work need to think beyond cones, signs and flagging positions. Crews need a site-specific plan, trained people, clear communication, the right equipment and a defined response when conditions no longer match what was expected.

Escape-route planning is one useful test. If workers cannot clearly explain where they will go when something goes wrong, the job may need more planning before work begins.

That becomes even more important on higher-speed roadways, complex projects or sites where traffic patterns and work activities change frequently. In those environments, specialized traffic management support can add planning expertise, equipment and experienced field resources.

At AWP Safety, we help customers plan and manage traffic around active infrastructure work so crews are better prepared for the conditions they may face in the field.

To learn more about how AWP Safety can help provide a safer work zone for your next project, request an estimate or contact your local sales representative.