Ministry endorses roadwork safety unit.

• Author: TOMLINSON, MARLA
• Position: Brief Article

The stop/slow paddles used on highway construction sites were not adequate enough for safety, says a business owner from the northwestern Ontario community of Jellicoe. So, in an effort to make his construction crews more visible, Gord Brinkman invented the Roadwork Safety Unit (RSU).

"While working on the highway with my people, I saw that many people didn't see the stop sign," Brinkman says. "I wanted to make my construction people more visible."

The RSU is a complete, mobile traffic control management system which is used for temporary highway/road operations. It hosts solid red and flashing amber regulation-size traffic lights, giving more visibility and greater advance notice to motorists approaching a roadway construction site.

It offers increased safety to both the traffic control people and the public, Brinkman says. Also, using the unit removes the worker from the direct line of traffic, thereby reducing the possiblility of accidents.

"This way, the workers won't blend in with the scenery; it doesn't matter how bright their orange vest is, the workers can be hard to see," Brinkman says.

The back of the RSU, which faces the oncoming traffic, has a large reflective black and yellow checkered arrowboard with flashing amber lights. This has a dual purpose of either directing traffic to the appropriate lane, or it can be used as a caution bar by not lighting up the arrow's point.

The device has two-way radios so traffic controllers can communicate with each other. The RSU has an operating distance capability of three kilometres between two units. It is also equipped with floodlights which light up the area where the controller is for increased safety during darkness and inclement weather.

The RSU attaches to a wired motor vehicle by a multi-fit hitch, giving the unit easy transport to the site. Once...