Impact of lighting on the safety and productivity of nighttime construction workers

Joseph Louis, Purdue University

Abstract

Nighttime highway construction work is becoming very common in the U.S. as most of the nation's highway system needs repair and rehabilitation. Most of this work is scheduled to be performed at night so as to avoid increased daytime traffic congestion. Work zone lighting is a very important issue that has to be considered while working at night as it allows workers to be able to see each other and to be aware of their immediate surroundings in order to perform their work in a safe and productive manner. This study's focus is two fold: (1) the analysis of the impact of work zone lighting on nighttime highway construction workers' perceptions of safety and productivity and (2) analysis of the productivity of the operation under different lighting conditions. Surveys were distributed to nighttime construction workers in Indiana to collect data about their perceptions regarding the lighting practices followed in nighttime work zones in which they were working. The workers' perceptions regarding the effectiveness of the current state-of-the-practice of lighting in the areas of safety, productivity, quality, and awareness were also obtained. An econometric analysis of the data obtained showed that the general site lighting affected the perception of safety in a positive way, while the presence of balloon lights that helped improve the lighting around the task area improved worker productivity. A multivariate regression model that determined the impact of the presence of different lighting sources on the ratio of operation productivity achieved during the daytime and nighttime hours was constructed. This enabled the incorporation of the effect of lighting into the duration of activities and, subsequently, the calculation of operation productivity. Four different lighting scenarios were tested using the framework developed and it was found that the scenario which included both roadway and trailer mounted lighting resulted in the highest productivity.

Degree

M.S.C.E.

Advisors

Martinez, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Occupational health|Civil engineering

COinS