Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, P.O. Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Aug 26;19(17):10627. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191710627.
Road project sites are dangerous and crash-prone, with many hazards that can cause injuries and can result in the deaths of road users or site-workers. Work zones for road construction or maintenance can potentially contribute to increasing these crashes. Many studies have addressed this issue; however, there is a lack of similar studies in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study contributes to developing safety practices for road work zones in Saudi Arabia by identifying, analyzing, and controlling the main risk factors. A survey approach was used to identify risk factors and potential countermeasures from road users' and civil engineering experts' perceptions. The main findings showed that most participants believed that the presence of work zones on the road might increase the probability of crash occurrence and that the highest risk factor that could cause a crash in a work zone is related to driver behavior. Both groups agreed that strict action against contractors or consultants who have safety violations would enhance road safety in work zones. Considering the findings of this study, decision-makers should take strong action to implement and improve road safety practices.
道路工程现场存在危险和易发生事故的情况，存在许多可能导致道路使用者或现场工作人员受伤甚至死亡的危险。道路施工或维护的工作区可能会增加这些事故的发生概率。许多研究已经解决了这个问题；然而，沙特阿拉伯缺乏类似的研究。因此，本研究通过识别、分析和控制主要风险因素，为沙特阿拉伯的道路工作区安全实践做出了贡献。本研究采用调查方法，从道路使用者和土木工程专家的角度来识别风险因素和潜在的对策。主要研究结果表明，大多数参与者认为道路上的工作区的存在可能会增加事故发生的概率，并且在工作区可能导致事故的最高风险因素与驾驶员行为有关。两个群体都认为，对违反安全规定的承包商或顾问采取严格的行动将提高工作区的道路安全。考虑到本研究的结果，决策者应采取强有力的行动来实施和改进道路安全实践。
