Road Safety Management at Work Zones : Final report

Accidents nearby work zones are a persistent road safety problem in many European countries. The Conference of European Directors of Roads (CEDR) has initiated and finances the IRIS project (Incursion Reduction to Increase Safety in road work zones) with the aim to collect and share information about best practices in temporary traffic management at road works. An analysis of work zone accidents and a review of best practices were made. Psychological issues to improve safety at work zones were studied by a literature review. Interviews with stakeholders were carried out in eight European countries to gather information on guidelines, standards and procedures in temporary traffic management. Best practice findings cover organizational/management issues, work zone safety reviews, establishment/de-establishment of a road work zone, informing/warning and guiding road users through work zone areas, speed management, protecting devices for road workers’ and road users’ safety and incursion warning systems

The Trolley Problem and the Dropping of Atomic Bombs

In this paper, the ethical and spiritual aspects of the trolley problem are discussed in connection with the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. First, I show that the dropping of atomic bombs was a typical example of the events that contained the logic of the trolley problems in their decision-making processes and justifications. Second, I discuss five aspects of “the problem of the trolley problem;” that is to say, “Rarity,” “Inevitability,” “Safety Zone,” “Possibility of Becoming a Victim,” and “Lack of Perspective of the Dead Victims Who Were Deprived of Freedom of Choice,” in detail. Third, I argue that those who talk about the trolley problem are automatically placed in the sphere of the expectation of response on the spiritual level. I hope that my contribution will shed light on the trolley problem from a very different angle, which has not been made by our fellow philosophers

The analysis of injection molding defects caused by gate vestiges

Issues of product safety are the most serious problems of an injection molded product due to their risk to human health. Such a safety problem can be the needle-shaped vestige at the gate zone of injection molded products, called a gate vestige. Only observations of the formation of gate vestiges can be found in the literature, but the processing parameters influencing their dimensions, especially their height have not been studied yet. Our goal was to study the effect of various injection molding processing parameters and gate constructions on gate vestige formation

Safe Robotic Grasping: Minimum Impact-Force Grasp Selection

This paper addresses the problem of selecting from a choice of possible grasps, so that impact forces will be minimised if a collision occurs while the robot is moving the grasped object along a post-grasp trajectory. Such considerations are important for safety in human-robot interaction, where even a certified "human-safe" (e.g. compliant) arm may become hazardous once it grasps and begins moving an object, which may have significant mass, sharp edges or other dangers. Additionally, minimising collision forces is critical to preserving the longevity of robots which operate in uncertain and hazardous environments, e.g. robots deployed for nuclear decommissioning, where removing a damaged robot from a contaminated zone for repairs may be extremely difficult and costly. Also, unwanted collisions between a robot and critical infrastructure (e.g. pipework) in such high-consequence environments can be disastrous. In this paper, we investigate how the safety of the post-grasp motion can be considered during the pre-grasp approach phase, so that the selected grasp is optimal in terms applying minimum impact forces if a collision occurs during a desired post-grasp manipulation. We build on the methods of augmented robot-object dynamics models and "effective mass" and propose a method for combining these concepts with modern grasp and trajectory planners, to enable the robot to achieve a grasp which maximises the safety of the post-grasp trajectory, by minimising potential collision forces. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach through several experiments with both simulated and real robots.Comment: To be appeared in IEEE/RAS IROS 201

Temporary traffic control for mobile and innovative geometric design work zones

Work zone safety and operations are of growing concern through recent years. With increasing traffic demand on the transportation system and advancing technology raising new situations, such as texting while driving and the proliferation of portable devices, new approaches and solutions need to be formed relating to transportation safety. This thesis addresses two issues pertaining to work zone safety. This first issue related to the increase of distracted driving through mobile work zones leading to an increase in collisions with work zone vehicles. The speed differential between the work zone vehicles and normal traffic flow, and the rise in distracted driving can lead to potential collisions. A possible solution to this problem involves the use of an audible warning system. This research found that the use of an audible warning system has potential to be an effective tool in improving safety through mobile work zones. The second issue relates to the rising trend of utilizing innovative geometric designs to address increasing traffic and increase traffic safety. Currently there is a lack of guidance on construction phasing and maintenance of traffic (MOT) involving innovative geometric designs. The research presented in this thesis addresses construction phasing and MOT practices for several innovative geometric designs. Goals through the innovative geometric design portion of this thesis include providing guides for transportation practitioners in developing construction phasing and MOT plans for innovative geometric designs. This involves providing MOT Phasing Diagrams to assist in traffic control measures such as barriers, delineators, and striping

Railroad Quiet Zones

Speaker(s): Mary Cripe, P.E., City of Goshen Engineering Department Glen Campbell, P.E., Patrick Engineering Track: Multi-Modal Transportation Submission ID #: 119 Presentation Duration: 50 Minutes Presentation Title: Railroad Quiet Zones Abstract: In 2005, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) provided communities with the opportunity to reduce locomotive horn noise without compromising public safety. The proposed Marion Branch Quiet Zone, located in Goshen, Indiana, will not only improve public safety, it will also enhance the quality of life and raise home values for adjacent residents. This intricate process involves creative problem-solving and knowledge of the multiple parties involved. It will take a coordinated effort by the FRA, Norfolk Southern, and City for the quiet zone to be approved. Lessons that other communities can learn from this effort are 1) for a quiet zone to be considered feasible, political will supporting the project must exist and 2) involve FRA and the affected railroads as early in the process as possible

Examining the safety performance of urban/suburban arterials and freeway segments in consideration of roadway geometry and traffic control

With the sprawling of major cities and creation of suburban areas, one problem that state agencies face is the increasing congestion in suburban arterials coupled with the safety risks posed by increasing traffic volumes at traditional intersections along arterials. In the early 1960s, a new intersection design was developed and installed in the state of Michigan, where left turns at intersections were replaced by median U-turn lanes (MUTs). This study focuses on the safety performance of corridors where median U-turns (MUTs) are present along urban and suburban boulevards. The analysis is performed in two stages; first models were developed separately for assessing the safety performance, through the examination of crash frequency and type, across individual MUTs, at intersections, and along segments on which MUTs are located. Subsequently, an aggregate-level analysis is conducted to assess the safety performance of specific intersections/MUT combinations. The second stage focused on developing models for examination of sites spanning each side of an intersection including upstream and downstream MUTs. These sites were compared to sample sites with allowed traditional left turn movements. Ultimately, the results provide guidance to agencies considering the installation of such alternative intersections. Additionally, safety risks are present during work zone projects along freeways, which are essential facilities for providing mobility. The presence of a work zone generally results in both mobility and safety impacts to road users. Minimizing the adverse impacts associated with work zones has become a priority for road agencies. This study will estimate SPFs that consider freeway geometry and traffic conditions, as well as the effects of various temporary traffic control strategies such as lane shifts, shoulder closures, and lane closures. Crash modification factors were developed for work zone duration and length. Additionally, the study results provide insight on the safety impacts associated with each of the four types of lane closures

Analysis of factors contributing to roadside tree crashes in South Carolina

The state of South Carolina has experienced a large number of fatalities and injuries resulting from run off the road tree related crashes. According to 2008 FARS data tree related fixed object fatal crashes in South Carolina (65%) are more than double that of the national (25.8%). Thus, trees are much bigger proportion of all roadside hazards in South Carolina than nationally. In order to achieve a safer roadside which is favorable to the road user, factors contributing to the tree related crashes should be critically analyzed to determine suitable safety improvements. This research aims at qualitatively and quantitatively assessing tree related crashes in SC and performing an in depth study of the problem to determine potential countermeasures to increase safety of the roadside environment. Various descriptive statistics were computed to determine any significant contribution of crash characteristics using the police accident reports database obtained from SCDOT from the years 2004 to 2006. Detail analysis of clear zone adequacy and possible slope issues were performed using the roadside inventory data collected from \u27Support for Elimination of Roadside Hazards\u27 project. The analysis revealed that tree related crashes in SC were predominantly related to young male drivers, secondary roads and speeding. Over a large portion of fatal crashes involved young male drivers speeding under the influence of alcohol/drugs during poor visibility or dark conditions. Clear zone adequacy analysis revealed that majority of the sites did not meet minimum clear zone requirements indicating, if a tree-crash pattern exists, it is likely that minimum clear zones are not met. A larger part of the sites analyzed had traversable side slopes and clear zone width was the only problem