CCTV cameras are being installed at Hampshire roadworks to protect workers, after more than 200 dangerous incidents involving drivers have been reported in the past year.
The technology is being used by Amey, who provide highways maintenance services on behalf of Hampshire County Council, and is installed within the traffic management used at a roadwork site. Numerous reports of employees being injured or narrowly escaping serious injuries are received every year.
David Ogden, Account Director for Amey in Hampshire, said: “At Amey we take the safety of our employees very seriously. However, despite our best efforts, there are many incidents every month where one of our team is injured or abused by an inconsiderate driver. We know people don’t like roadworks and we do our best to minimise disruption and delays, but we also need to protect our employees. Introducing CCTV on our sites has become necessary to do this, to ensure that every employee can return home safely to their families at the end of the day.”
Amey, Hampshire County Council and Hampshire Constabulary have joined forces to introduce the technology across the county. The cameras have been set up to capture evidence of potentially criminal behaviour which could be used in future prosecutions of drivers who break the law.
Sergeant Rob Heard, Road Safety Sergeant for Hampshire Constabulary, said: "Road signs and traffic controls are crucial to ensure our roads are safe to drive on, and it’s imperative that drivers adhere to these signs and react appropriately. It is unacceptable driving behaviour to disrespect these signs as they not only protect the road workers, but also the public using the road. The use of CCTV enables Amey to capture evidence which could be used to prosecute drivers who disobey the rules of the road and endanger their employees."
The new safety initiative also features signage including one Amey operative and his family alongside the slogan “For everyone’s safety, STOP means STOP at roadworks”, to urge motorists to take more care at roadworks.
Gavin Miles, who featured in the campaign with his two children, said: “Everyone who works on the roads is aware of how risky it is to be so close to live traffic every day. We regularly experience drivers ignoring traffic lights and cones, or mounting pavements and grass verges to drive through or around roadworks. We work to high health and safety standards, but we can’t control how people drive. Hopefully the campaign will help to remind drivers to drive more carefully and considerately, so we all get to go home safely.”
The campaign is targeting road users who either ignore traffic management measures or act abusively towards Amey employees. Working on behalf of Hampshire County Council, Amey undertakes a range of works which require traffic management to control traffic and protect their workforce from passing traffic.
The difference between a ‘near miss’ and a serious or fatal injury to a road worker can often be a matter of seconds or millimetres, as every year over 100 people are killed or seriously injured as a result of working on UK roads.