Cormac is launching a safety campaign this week to raise awareness about the risks faced by its workers while providing essential services on Cornwall’s roads.
The ‘Home Safe and Well’ campaign encourages road users to slow down and exercise caution when driving near roadworks and school crossing patrol sites. The ultimate goal is for everyone travelling on Cornwall’s roads to arrive home safely each day.
The campaign will tie in with national Road Safety Week, an annual campaign led by the road safety charity Brake to raise awareness of road safety issues and prevent accidents.
With over 500 operatives actively working across 4,660 miles of Cornwall’s road network, ensuring everyone’s safety during essential maintenance and construction, as well as at school crossings, is a top priority. These tasks require the workforce to operate in close proximity to live traffic, which inherently increases the risk of injury.
In the last three years, there have been three physical assaults, forty-six reports of verbal abuse, thirty-three incidents of road users ignoring road closures, and thirty drive-throughs near schools. This campaign seeks to address these concerning issues.
All drivers need to recognise the challenges and risks faced by our roadworkers. For our teams, the road is not just a workplace; it’s their office. This applies to school crossing patrol teams, who are also out in all weathers with one intention: to help children cross the road safely while attending or leaving school.
Keeping roads open and traffic moving helps communities stay connected and allows businesses to continue operating. While roadworks can be frustrating, it’s important to remember that they are in place to protect lives.
Cormac Managing Director Dominic Bostock said:
“We ask everyone to be more aware of the dangers faced by our workforce and to act respectfully and patiently towards them. Sadly, incidents involving carelessness and abusive drivers are on the increase.
Everyone has the right to feel safe at work. Nobody should ever be threatened, intimidated or assaulted because of the job they do. And yet this is a scenario faced by many of our workforce on our roads all too often.
“We have a legal and moral obligation to protect our staff and take this responsibility very seriously.”
(Picture: Cormac)
