By Aliyah Thomas KC'S BLOG • • • • • • • • • 0 Comments

What is Work Zone Traffic Control?

When construction takes place on or near roadways, it can result in traffic delays and compromised safety of construction workers, motorists, and pedestrians. As a result of roadway construction, certain measures are enacted to facilitate a safe work area for workers, maintain and protect the flow of traffic, and complete necessary work on schedule.

Work zone traffic control (WZTC) was created with these factors in mind, providing construction workers with the knowledge they need to maintain a safe work environment while ensuring an organized flow of traffic. WZTC protocols seek to mitigate the effects of construction on those directly affected by factors such as lane closures or detours.

Motorists should be alert to changing traffic patterns and possible work zones that may crop up along the road.

The typical WZTC area consists of four components:

1. The advance warning area is the point where motorists are alerted to upcoming road work, usually through the use of road signs, electronic signboards, and flags.

2. The transition area is the area motorists are guided to transition out of their normal traffic pattern to the new, temporary traffic detour. This can be done with the use of flaggers, traffic cones, and signs.

3. The activity area is where the actual road work is being conducted.

4. The termination area is the point where traffic is allowed to return to its normal pattern.

While every municipality can mandate or adopt their own WZTC policies, they must remain consistent with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), set in place as a result of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law.

At KC, our field staff are well-versed in WZTC operations, and regularly apply said knowledge when providing a variety of services to our clients.

By Evan Thomas KC'S BLOG • • • • 0 Comments

What Is ISO 9001, and Why Does It Matter?

Developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), ISO 9001:2015 is an international standard that establishes the criteria for an effective quality management system (QMS).  This standard is designed to be generic enough to apply across varied industries while being thorough enough to control an organization’s processes, improving efficiency and ensuring consistent outputs. The overarching objective of ISO 9001 is continual improvement: setting quality-centered goals and then exceeding them. By striving to continually improve, we can provide the best possible products and services and satisfy both our employees and our clients.

ISO 9001’s comprehensive process-oriented approach ensures that the structure, responsibilities, and procedures of the QMS are controlled at each step and every level: from the quality manual, the central document that governs the requirements of the QMS, to a set of instructions for, say, calibrating an instrument. Under our ISO 9001 QMS’s well-defined and documented procedures, we improve the consistency of our output, constantly measure quality, provide detailed instructions for all employees to follow, decrease defect rates, and identify obsolete or inefficient practices and subsequently update them.

Risks and problematic practices are identified through ISO 9001’s Plan-Do-Check-Act methodology:

  1. Plan: We assess and account for the organization and its context, customer requirements, and the needs and expectations of relevant interested parties.
  2. Do: We do what we actually do – so, at KC, we design a bridge, or a treatment plant, or a roadway.
  3. Check: We analyze and evaluate our performance.
  4. Act: We factor our evaluation back into our planning, thus improving the process for future projects.

Under ISO 9001, management is responsible for implementing the system, including the allocation of resources and initiation of corrective actions to address risks and opportunities. However, all employees are responsible for understanding their individual roles and following the procedures and instructions in which they’ve been trained. This distribution of responsibility creates satisfied clients and employees and ensures products are of the highest quality. By focusing on satisfaction and quality, we can boost our performance and secure financial benefits through a higher rate of growth, increased wages, reduced waste, enhanced productivity, and improved health and safety performance.

By Evan Thomas KC'S BLOG • • • • • 0 Comments

Good Etiquette for Traveling Through Construction Sites

It’s an undeniable fact that construction sites obstruct the movements and activities of our daily lives—on our morning commutes to work, for example, the last thing we want to see is that bright orange sign that reads “Road Work Ahead.” Sidewalk closings, too, prove to be nothing short of inconvenient as they often force us pedestrians to haphazardly share the road with motorists. Compounding the inconvenience is the danger of proximity to an active construction site: according to Creative Safety Publishing, an organization dedicated to providing safety tips for the workplace, in 2012 a student at Ohio State University was struck by a dump truck while riding his bike past a construction site. The New York Post reported that between the years 2010 and 2015, 59 people had been struck by falling debris from New York City construction sites.

Follow these three simple steps to stay safe and become a more mindful and respectful passerby at construction sites:

  1. Respect the signs and learn what they mean.

Take an active role in your safety and understand important safety signs.

SafetySign.com identifies five important symbols that communicate three important messages to both workers and passersby: the hazard, the means of avoiding the hazard, and the consequences of not avoiding the hazard. Common symbols include:

Hazard symbols (yellow triangle with black border) warn us about potential site dangers and their consequences (think: Biohazard sign).

Prohibition symbols (red circle with red slash through middle) instruct us on what activities to avoid when near the site (think: “No Smoking” sign).

Mandatory symbols (white square or blue circle depicting an instructional action) tell us what we must do to stay safe when near a construction site (think: “Hard Hat Area” sign).

Information symbols (white square with a red image) direct us to important life-saving equipment and exits in case of an emergency (think: Fire Extinguisher sign).

Safety symbols (white square with black image, occasionally accompanied by a red circle with a slash) both shows us the proper steps to take to avoid danger and the consequences of ignoring important hazard warnings (think: “Caution: Wet Floor” sign).

  1. Avoid “rubbernecking.”

If you’ve recently driven over the Tappan Zee Bridge, you’re probably guilty of gawking at the construction of the new bridge. (And we don’t blame you, it’s shaping up to be quite a beaut!) However, according to a study conducted by researchers at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, engaging in distracted driving activities such as rubbernecking can double your risk of crashing. Sneaking a peek at the new bridge for just two seconds can increase the risk of an accident up to 24 times. While construction sites can be sources of curiosity and excitement, catching close-up views of the new bridge’s construction at 60 mph is not worth the risk of threatening your life and the lives of others.

  1. Don’t gawk: research!

Calm your curiosity safely by visiting this website that keeps you in the loop about projects in New York that are currently under construction. Excessive staring, both while driving and on foot, can cause significant disruptions around a construction site and can be dangerous to yourself, your fellow travelers, and on-site workers. If you are curious about a project, simply select its location on the site’s provided map and read up!

By Evan Thomas KC'S BLOG • • 0 Comments

April Is National Safe Digging Month

Regardless of the temperature outside, spring has officially sprung and most homeowners are anxious to trade in their snow blowers for lawn mowers. This is the time of year when people start to make landscaping and gardening plans. But not only is April the first full month of spring, it is also National Safe Digging Month.

While many homeowners may be thinking about planning gardens, starting home improvement projects, and sprucing up their properties, it’s important to remember to call 811 before ANY dig.

811 is a national hotline that allows property owners, landscapers, and others to find out where they can safely dig.

Utility lines can be buried just a few inches underground, and without ensuring that the spot you’re digging in is free of utility lines, you could unintentionally damage them. In doing so, you could wind up damaging property, inadvertently causing power outages, and incurring costly fines and fees.

So how does calling 811 work?

First, make the call at least a few days before you dig. Let the operators know exactly where you plan to dig.

They will then notify your local utilities operators. The utilities workers will come to your property and mark out where any utility lines are buried.

Once any utility line locations have been marked, you can plan to avoid these areas and safely proceed with your project.

Once your project is complete, you can enjoy the results of your hard work!

So remember, regardless of whether you’re getting ready to excavate your backyard in order to add an in-ground pool, are planning a vegetable garden, or want to plant some flowers, no digging project – no matter how small – should be started without first calling 811.

For more information about safe digging, visit http://call811.com/.

By Evan Thomas KC'S BLOG • • • • • 0 Comments

ISO 9001

What Is ISO 9001, and Why Does It Matter?

Developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), ISO 9001:2015 is an international standard that establishes the criteria for an effective quality management system (QMS). This standard is designed to be generic enough to apply across varied industries while being thorough enough to control an organization’s processes, improving efficiency and ensuring consistent outputs. The overarching objective of ISO 9001 is continual improvement: setting quality-centered goals and then exceeding them. By striving to continually improve, we can provide the best possible products and services and satisfy both our employees and our clients.

ISO 9001’s comprehensive process-oriented approach ensures that the structure, responsibilities, and procedures of the QMS are controlled at each step and every level: from the quality manual, the central document that governs the requirements of the QMS, to a set of instructions for, say, calibrating an instrument. Under our ISO 9001 QMS’s well-defined and documented procedures, we improve the consistency of our output, constantly measure quality, provide detailed instructions for all employees to follow, decrease defect rates, and identify obsolete or inefficient practices and subsequently update them.

Risks and problematic practices are identified through ISO 9001’s Plan-Do-Check-Act methodology:

  1. Plan: We assess and account for the organization and its context, customer requirements, and the needs and expectations of relevant interested parties.
  2. Do: We do what we actually do – so, at KC, we design a bridge, or a treatment plant, or a roadway.
  3. Check: We analyze and evaluate our performance.
  4. Act: We factor our evaluation back into our planning, thus improving the process for future projects.

Under ISO 9001, management is responsible for implementing the system, including the allocation of resources and initiation of corrective actions to address risks and opportunities. However, all employees are responsible for understanding their individual roles and following the procedures and instructions in which they’ve been trained. This distribution of responsibility creates satisfied clients and employees and ensures products are of the highest quality. By focusing on satisfaction and quality, we can boost our performance and secure financial benefits through a higher rate of growth, increased wages, reduced waste, enhanced productivity, and improved health and safety performance.

KC is ISO 90001:2015 certified. We are pledged to quality, safety, and satisfaction.