FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Judy L. Hricak, CPSM, Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, 717.763.7211 (x2624)
(Harrisburg, Pa.) The Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) selected Gannett Fleming to develop a framework, or methodology, for a national safety database. This framework will collect and analyze data on injuries and fatalities experienced by emergency responders and roadway workers when they or their equipment are struck, or nearly struck, by passing vehicles. NCHRP conducts research in problem areas that affect highway planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance nationwide. This 12-month contract -- titled NCHRP Project 20-07 (321), Developing a Framework for Emergency Responder/Roadside Worker Struck-by/Near-miss Database -- will conclude in February 2013.
The development of this database, which will be used across the U.S., is a critical step in creating proven solutions to mitigate this growing safety issue. Once the database is developed, the information gathered from it will allow government entities and other agencies to identify targeted locations, conditions, or practices that most significantly affect drivers and those who work on or along the roadway. This effort will ensure that the most effective public outreach and training among responders and roadway workers is implemented.
This project will be the precursor to the implementation of a system that could play a significant role in reducing the number of first responder and roadway worker injuries and fatalities. Currently, this information is collected in disparate databases with a myriad of data definitions and limited, if any, standardization. The current lack of quantifiable data on emergency responder and roadway worker injuries and fatalities has numerous implications.
• Solutions for mitigating the causes of the injuries and fatalities will continue to be challenging to identify and develop.
• Resources are less likely to be allocated to addressing the critical safety issues without documentation on the nature and extent of the problem.
• It is difficult, if not impossible, to measure performance and identify trends without data spanning months and years.
Gannett Fleming is a global infrastructure firm focused on planning, design, technology, and construction management services for the transportation, environmental, water, power, and facilities industries. More than 2,000 employees provide customized solutions to improve communities around the world. The firm embraces sustainability and innovation in its projects and internal activities, finding the best solutions and the most efficient processes while being responsible stewards of the environment. Founded in 1915, Gannett Fleming had $292.4 million in revenues in 2011, has performed work in more than 53 countries, and today has more than 60 offices around the world. We are proud to be ISO 9001:2008 Certified.
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