Citation

Wheat AG. IMSA J. 2012; 50(2): 28-37.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, International Municipal Signal Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article discusses how public agencies should consider incorporating documentation techniques, usually associated with post-crash activities into their risk management and safety programs. By adopting a proactive approach to risk management, the agency can reduce their exposure to potentially hazardous traffic incidents or crash events that occur within or near the agency's work areas. The article shows how these documentation techniques could capture important details about the work activities that were occurring within the highway environment, what work equipment was positioned and what safety procedures and advanced warning devices were incorporated in the work project. By incorporating these techniques and policies, employees and public agencies may gather valuable information that could provide factual evidence of the conditions at the crash scene, how the vehicles collided, the roadway evidence created during the crash and how each vehicle was positioned during the collision. Photographic data may prove invaluable if accusations are later made against the agency, or if a claim subrogation or civil litigation results from a crash or traffic-related incident. The time effort and equipment expense would be minimal, given the costs of defending the agency in an insurance claim or civil suit.