NIPSCO Reminds Public, Especially Youth, Of Construction Safety
June 7, 2023 at 11:15 p.m.
By Staff Report-
Construction and work zone safety is especially important as northern Indiana communities are experiencing surges of economic growth resulting in an increase of road expansion projects, new residential and business builds, park recreational facilities, multiplex centers, advancements in medical facilities and a rise in utility work in local neighborhoods, according to a news release from NIPSCO.
The National Safety Council states that the construction industry employs more than 7.5 million workers in the United States.
NIPSCO has invested more than $2.7 billion in building, modernizing and enhancing its infrastructure in the last decade to better serve customers and communities. This investment is done through hundreds of individual natural gas and electric construction projects, including an estimated 144 electrical substation rebuilds, 420 miles of electrical distribution wire, 11,475 new utility poles, nine new gas transmission facilities, 44 miles of new gas transmission pipeline and many safety and enhancement programs that add new technology to the system.
“At NIPSCO, we are driven by the mission to deliver safe and reliable energy to our customers,” said Matthew Ireland, NIPSCO safety manager. “Safety is paramount in everything we do, and we want members of the communities we serve to stay safe this summer in and around construction and work zones by increasing their awareness and taking the necessary steps to help keep our employees, contractors and the public out of harm’s way.”
To help encourage awareness and reduce risk, NIPSCO shared a few critical safety tips for the summer construction season:
• Do not walk, run, ride or play around/in construction sites or equipment. Especially near dirt piles or open trenches.
• Always walk in the designated walkway or sidewalk to avoid injury. Be alert of signage and sidewalks.
• Avoid being distracted by using any handheld devices while in a construction zone.
• If possible, avoid construction sites.
• Stop, look and listen for construction vehicles and equipment.
• Often smaller than equipment, adults and children should protect themselves by making eye contact with equipment operators to be seen.
• Read construction signs to know what to do in these zones.
• Keep alert, falling objects are possible.
• Listen/watch for instruction by construction workers or flaggers to ensure safety.
• Stay outside of the orange cones, construction fence and chain link areas.
According to the National Safety Council, work zone deaths have increased 63% since 2010. Fatality data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows an average of 55 worker-pedestrians are killed per year after being struck by vehicles in work zones.
Construction and work zone safety is especially important as northern Indiana communities are experiencing surges of economic growth resulting in an increase of road expansion projects, new residential and business builds, park recreational facilities, multiplex centers, advancements in medical facilities and a rise in utility work in local neighborhoods, according to a news release from NIPSCO.
The National Safety Council states that the construction industry employs more than 7.5 million workers in the United States.
NIPSCO has invested more than $2.7 billion in building, modernizing and enhancing its infrastructure in the last decade to better serve customers and communities. This investment is done through hundreds of individual natural gas and electric construction projects, including an estimated 144 electrical substation rebuilds, 420 miles of electrical distribution wire, 11,475 new utility poles, nine new gas transmission facilities, 44 miles of new gas transmission pipeline and many safety and enhancement programs that add new technology to the system.
“At NIPSCO, we are driven by the mission to deliver safe and reliable energy to our customers,” said Matthew Ireland, NIPSCO safety manager. “Safety is paramount in everything we do, and we want members of the communities we serve to stay safe this summer in and around construction and work zones by increasing their awareness and taking the necessary steps to help keep our employees, contractors and the public out of harm’s way.”
To help encourage awareness and reduce risk, NIPSCO shared a few critical safety tips for the summer construction season:
• Do not walk, run, ride or play around/in construction sites or equipment. Especially near dirt piles or open trenches.
• Always walk in the designated walkway or sidewalk to avoid injury. Be alert of signage and sidewalks.
• Avoid being distracted by using any handheld devices while in a construction zone.
• If possible, avoid construction sites.
• Stop, look and listen for construction vehicles and equipment.
• Often smaller than equipment, adults and children should protect themselves by making eye contact with equipment operators to be seen.
• Read construction signs to know what to do in these zones.
• Keep alert, falling objects are possible.
• Listen/watch for instruction by construction workers or flaggers to ensure safety.
• Stay outside of the orange cones, construction fence and chain link areas.
According to the National Safety Council, work zone deaths have increased 63% since 2010. Fatality data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows an average of 55 worker-pedestrians are killed per year after being struck by vehicles in work zones.
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