From The Hotline, Spring, 2009 More than 350 members of Local 258 IBEW get up in the morning and fight the traffic to get to work every day. But the fight doesn’t seem to end when they get there. In fact, for many of our members who work on the roads in traffic control, keeping the public and their union brothers and sisters safe and out of harm’s way, the fight is about to begin. Traffic control has always been a dangerous job, and the statistics prove it. According to information from the Workers’ Compensation Board, from 2005 to 2008 in BC, 15 traffic control persons (TCPs) were struck by motor vehicles that did not slow down in traffic control zones. Most of these incidents resulted in significant but not life threatening injuries – however – in two of these incidents, the TCPs died (Brother Terry Mitchell passed away in February of last year as a result of being hit by a car while working as a TCP in Fort Langley). Assistant Business Manager Susan Longva tells The Hotline that many TCPs are reporting an increase in the number of incidents being described as “angry drivers out of control” who add to the daily hazards of this dangerous job. “Many of our members, especially those working in the lower mainland and Fraser Valley, are reporting an increasing number of drivers who ignore the traffic lights, barricades, signs, flashing arrows and most importantly, the directions of the traffic control person,” she says. “From verbal insults to throwing things at the TCPs to physical assaults, we’ve heard it all.” Longva described that recently a member working as a TCP was faced with a situation that has left her with lingering fears and questions about her safety on the job. She was called to work with a repair crew who was tending to a power outage in an apartment complex. They had to set up at one of the parking entrances to the building and when one of the tenants approached in his car to turn into the parking area, saw the obstruction caused by the repair crew, and proceeded to begin a verbal assault on the TCP. The situation quickly escalated as he got out of his car and approached the TCP, yelling and screaming. She feared he was going to hit her and had to put her arms up to protect herself. The local police were called and the situation was rectified, but during the course of the conversation with police, the member was informed that if she had been the first to have physical contact with the angry driver in the course of trying to protect herself, she could find herself facing assault charges. From this and other incidents described by many TCPs, Local 258 is holding a series of meetings for TCPs in the lower mainland and in communities where members have reported increasing incidents of driver anger. The first meeting is scheduled for Saturday, April 4, and members will be notified through their workplaces of times and locations. The purpose of the meetings are to find out the details and scope of incidents that may be taking place where members working as TCPs fear for their safety from angry members of the public. Also, the meetings will have a focus on what can be done to develop a plan of action with stakeholders in the community to ensure the safety of TCPs. More than 12,000 TCPs have been trained in BC since 2003 by instructors trained by the Construction Safety Network. Graduates of the two-day course that provides theory and practical experience receive a certificate valid for three years. TCPs are employed by municipalities, traffic control companies and road construction or maintenance companies. Local 258 members working in traffic control work alongside our BC Hydro crews, our private sector crews and our utility arborist crews. |
