Roadwork site safety improved slightly from May – 80 corrective action requests were still issued
The cities of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa and the police intensified their supervision of roadwork safety in August. Inspections focused particularly on roadwork sites near schools and day care centres. In Espoo, the Suvisaari optical fibre worksite was one of the inspected sites.
During the week of intensified supervision, 17–21 August, 74 roadwork sites were inspected, of which 40 were located in Helsinki, 17 in Vantaa and 17 in Espoo. During the week, 19 reminders, 77 corrective action requests and nine fines were issued. In addition, work was suspended at four sites.
Problems included inadequate detour signs and worksite fencing, as well as incorrect traffic signs. Inspections also revealed roadwork sites where permits had expired or were missing altogether.
"Worksite arrangements that do not comply with official regulations can compromise the accessibility of public areas and the safety of people moving through them. One of the aims of intensified supervision is to draw the attention of worksite planners, and especially those responsible for implementation, to the practical execution of safe temporary traffic arrangements that comply with regulations,” says Permit Engineer Pekka Ikonen from the City of Espoo’s Land Use Management Unit. During the intensified supervision week, there were about 650 unfinished roadwork sites in the Espoo area.
Roadwork site safety is improving
During the previous intensified supervision week in May this year, 97 roadwork sites were inspected. Relatively speaking, more deficiencies were found then than during the latest inspections. In the spring, seven sites were fined, and 85 reminders were issued in Espoo and Vantaa alone.
“We are seeing a positive development in roadwork site arrangements and safety. The situation is improving year by year,” says Superintendent Dennis Pasterstein from the Helsinki Police Department.
Intensified supervision weeks will continue in the future as a joint effort between capital region municipalities and the police. The aim is not only to identify problems, but also to prevent dangerous situations and share good practices among the cities, the police and worksite operators.