Every asphalt paving company knows that paving can present numerous risks. Between the heavy equipment, the hot asphalt and delivery trucks, workers must be constantly vigilant to avoid accidents. However, paving asphalt is performed within just a few feet of vehicle traffic, so workers must also be aware of the risks presented by speeding, negligent or distracted drivers. It is not just the work crew that can be at risk; pedestrians walking too near the work area, onlookers who wander where they should not and drivers who collide with barricades or equipment could also be injured. At Alpha Paving Industries, we prioritize the safety of our workers and your employees, customers, vendors, residents and tenants.
Asphalt Paving: Why Safety Is Our Priority
Our Employees Deserve Our Attention to Safety
Our employees are highly trained and skilled professionals with bright futures, loved ones and extensive plans. A serious injury could affect every area of life, so we go to great lengths to ensure that they have a safe work area. We furnish them with the safety gear and tools to protect themselves. We hold frequent training sessions on the topic of safety. We make sure that all employees are thoroughly trained on any piece of equipment they will operate, and we do not allow unqualified employees to operate any type of heavy equipment.
All of our equipment is properly maintained, and before dispatching equipment to a job, we make sure that it can be operated safely and is fully functional. A piece of equipment that breaks down on the job can cause delays, but it can also increase the hazards to our workers if they must attempt a repair or use alternative techniques.
We Owe Everyone Else the Same Attention to Safety
Our concern extends to everyone who might venture near the work area. For some reason, asphalt paving operations tend to attract spectators. The onlookers may be our client’s employees or customers, but they may also be people who were simply walking by and stopped to watch. Because we prioritize safety, our employees are acutely aware of potential risks to spectators, so they always take the appropriate steps to protect others as well as themselves.
We always develop a plan to control traffic. We may ask clients to provide an alternative entrance to a parking lot, for example, or schedule our work to coincide with the client’s times of least traffic. On a large project, we may break the work into stages so that we can minimize the disruption to traffic.
Upon arriving at the site, our crews begin by erecting barricades, tape and/or cones to mark the work area. These measures warn drivers and pedestrians so that they do not enter. When necessary, we will deploy a flagger to attract additional attention or divert traffic.
General Safety Steps
For everyone’s protection, we make sure that sufficient lights are in place when we must pave at night. We teach our employees to stay in the light and avoid dark areas. The lights also help drivers and pedestrians avoid the work area.
We train our employees to speak up if they see a potential safety issue. Whether it is a spectator who has ventured too close, an overhead power line that poses a potential risk for a truck driver or a speeding driver who does not appear to realize that he is headed directly into the work area, our employees are trained to handle the issue appropriately.
Prioritizing Safety Helps Ensure Quality Results
At Alpha Paving Industries, we believe that employees who feel safe on the job deliver superior work. They are also more likely to stay with the company, so they typically have more experience than workers at companies perceived as indifferent to safety.
If you need paving in Austin, Tx – or asphalt repair, road construction, asphalt sealcoating, asphalt crack repair, parking lot striping, concrete services, pavement marking or other pavement-related services, contact us. Alpha Paving is an award-winning, full-service Austin asphalt company with an outstanding reputation and impeccable references. Our clients include hospitals, municipalities, subdivisions, HOAs, apartment complexes, office parks, airports, shopping centers, restaurants, major retailers, hotels, manufacturing facilities, educational institutions, entertainment venues and religious institutions. You can submit the online form or call (512) 677-9001 to request a free quote.
