Are your construction sites often the scene of serious accidents? Then this blog is for you.
If you run a construction company, you are more than aware of how hectic a job site can be. With so many construction workers, building materials, tools, and heavy equipment around, it becomes utterly chaotic almost at all times. But what is the biggest barrier to running a construction project smoothly? Yes, you guessed it right. It is the wave of traffic that you have to manage in and around your project site. Now, if you expect your technicians to manage the traffic as well as the construction work, things will become more difficult for them. And this right here is the key cause of recurrent accidents at your job sites– your technicians are constantly juggling two high-risk jobs, and therefore, things are slipping through the cracks. However, there is a simple solution to this problem—a construction flagger, or a team of construction flaggers, to be more specific.
Hiring human flaggers for construction sites has become quite popular lately. The increased demand for skilled and experienced flaggers is proof of this claim. Today, there are about 29,023 active vacancies for flaggers in the U.S. alone, and the demand is steadily increasing. There is a strong reason behind this.
Hiring flaggers for your construction site gives your workers freedom from the heavy task of managing traffic and instead allows them to focus on the job that they are actually meant to do. If you have already used them for your business, you know more than anyone how relieving it could be for you and your workers. And if you haven’t tried it yet, you should consider it right now. You will be amazed at the difference it makes to your workflow and productivity.
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At this point, you might want to know more about construction flaggers—what is a construction flagger, how they can help you, how to hire them, and most importantly, how much it is going to cost you. Well, we have tried to answer almost all of your questions right in this blog. So, read on and learn the secret to taking your construction business to the next level.
Construction Flaggers: An Overview
Essentially, flaggers are professionals who help with the task of traffic control. You might have already seen some of them—managing traffic and keeping both drivers and workers safe during temporary roadwork. But what is a flagger in construction?
Well, they are the same people hired specifically to work on construction sites. Government agencies and construction firms hire construction flaggers to keep traffic moving around construction sites. With construction flaggers, handling a high-risk and chaotic space like that of a construction zone becomes rather easy.
Managing Construction Zones with Human Flaggers
Managing a construction site with flaggers primarily refers to maintaining safety and seamless working conditions. In short, construction flaggers ensure the complete safety of a job site so that construction workers and other technicians can do their jobs right. Flaggers also make sure that no worker or motorist is harmed or injured due to road accidents, property damage, falling hazards, chemical hazards, or any other risks that may arise at a construction site. To this end, they carry out the following tasks under the supervision of an experienced team leader:
- Putting up warning signs like traffic cones and roadblocks
- Use hand signals and other signs to direct the flow of traffic
- Make the construction crew aware of various security regulations
- Maintain safety at the job site
- Use hand-held radios for communicating with other flaggers and guiding traffic from two lanes into just one
- Dealing with difficult motorists
- Note down vehicle numbers in case anyone fails to obey traffic rules and regulations
- Take down all the signs, barricades, and traffic cones when the construction is done
- Help the construction workers clear away rubble, debris, and dangerous materials
- Help the site get back to normal for traffic movement.
While the flaggers will make sure of their responsibilities, you need to take care of a few things if you want to manage the construction zone with flaggers more effectively. This includes:
- Make sure to provide your construction flaggers with high-visibility clothes and safety gear (if necessary)
- Give them a layout of the job site as well as a traffic control plan upfront
- Communicate clearly with your flaggers and make sure they understand your requirements and safety concerns
- Establish a security protocol and make sure it is followed
- Be prepared for any untoward or emergency situations
- Provide easy access to necessary information and assistance
Cost of Hiring Construction Flaggers
Many construction business owners refrain from hiring flaggers, thinking of the additional cost it would incur. If you are one of them, let us assure you that hiring a construction flagger is way less expensive than you think. In the U.S., you need to pay a flagger just $16.11 per hour.
If this amount still feels like a lot, think about the costs it saves. Having a team of experienced flaggers reduces the chances of accidents to almost zero. As a result, you save money on hazards, damages, and insurance claims for worker injuries. Not to forget the lives it will save!
Moreover, having a team of flaggers on a construction site is a mandatory requirement in some specific locations. If you violate that rule, you may end up paying a heavy penalty. The cost of hiring flaggers will be way less than that.
All in all, hiring flaggers saves you more money than it costs you and, therefore, is indeed a wise investment.
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Managing Construction Flaggers Effectively
Once you put together your team of certified construction flaggers, you need to learn how to manage them on a construction site.
Of course, your flaggers will control the traffic movement and ensure safety. But there are a lot more important things to take care of, even before they set foot in the construction zone. And it is upon you to handle them.
First of all, you need to assign flaggers and give them a schedule. Then you need to monitor when they arrive at the site, clock-in, and clock out. You might also need to track their movements in certain high-risk construction zones. Don’t forget tracking total billable hours for payroll too! Additionally, sometimes flaggers may need to use some equipment other than flagger signs and barricades. In that case, it is important to keep track of that equipment and make sure that it is available for them to use as and when necessary.
It sounds like a lot of work, right? This time, we’re going to agree with you. Yes, it is indeed a hectic task that takes a lot of time and effort—only when done manually. But it all becomes a cakewalk if you simply automate the process.
That’s right. There are now advanced digital tools and software applications that can streamline the workflow. You can schedule, dispatch, and monitor your flaggers, track their time, and even send automated alerts and notifications so they never miss a shift.
Wrapping Up
If you are thinking of using a time-tracker or scheduling software to manage your construction flagger, let us give you one more tip, perhaps the best one so far.
Instead of investing in a number of tools or software, just sign up for Field Promax flagger management software. It is a comprehensive cloud-based solution specifically designed for managing flaggers. With this, you can do all that is needed from one single platform. Field Promax also offers a comprehensive dashboard where you can view all schedules, both for your flaggers and construction workers, and assign them accordingly. And the best part—it also has a mobile app, which helps your flaggers update time, report progress, access necessary information, and even upload photos and documents necessary for record-keeping. In short, Field Promax takes care of the entire process of managing flaggers effectively, with added efficiency and transparency.
You wanted to know how to manage a construction zone with flaggers effectively, right? Here is your answer—just sign up for Field Promax.
For more information, contact Field Promax.
Originally Published On: Field Promax ( How to Handle A Construction Zone with Human Flaggers )