The Road Workers' Safety Forum (RoWSaF), a cross-industry group led by the Highways Agency and supported by Balfour Beatty and its joint ventures, has been recognised at the Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards for its innovative and collaborative approach to making roadworkers safer.

The RoWSaF team picked up the award from His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent at a ceremony at The Savoy in London last week.

The award in part recognised the work of Balfour Beatty joint venture Connect Plus in reducing the number of road worker carriageway crossings on the M25 by over 500,000 over the past eighteen months. Similar trials have also been implemented in Highways Agency Areas 4 and 10 by Balfour Beatty Mott MacDonald.

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Other initiatives introduced by the industry partners of RoWSaF included sequentially flashing cone-mounted lamps on the approach to roadworks, the removal of off-side signing to eliminate carriageway crossings, making impact protection vehicles more conspicuous, light arrows, variable message signs and matrix developments, as well as increased use of both vehicle-mounted and static signs.

In making their recommendation for an award to His Royal Highness, the judges said: "This highly innovative and effective forum brings together, in partnership, those responsible for the engineering workforce, the combined knowledge and experience of so many commercial and statutory organisations, and ensures that the highest levels of duty of care are in force."

Paul Mitchell, Chairman of RoWSaF and Head of Health and Safety at the Highways Agency, said: "This award is a fantastic recognition for the years of hard work put in by all of the RoWSaF partners. There is no doubt that the new techniques and procedures that we have introduced have saved lives, but there is still work to do and the forum will continue to drive forward innovations that make roadworks safer for everyone."

(CD/MH)