| OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program |
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| Web Brief (Oct 05) |
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A Simple Solution Increases Worker Safety on Butte Creek Bridge Repair Project
Innovation, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness are hallmarks of the OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program. ODOT encourages innovation and has achieved high levels of efficiency and cost savings at all levels of the bridge program, from large initiatives to small projects.
Recently, personal initiative and out-of-the-box thinking on the Butte Creek Bridge repair project on Interstate 5 between Albany and Harrisburg resulted in increased worker safety and efficiency at virtually no cost.
The Butte Creek Bridge was built in the late 1950s with bridge railings that were less than 30 inches high. Because the current safety standard for railings is 42 inches, workers had to be strapped to safety lines as protection against falls. The lines made repair work difficult. Workers found that some simple motions were more difficult, if not impossible, when they were strapped in.
The Butte Creek project manager, Jeff Fisth, came up with a simple solution. A carpenter by trade, the manager recycled scrap wood from another project nearby and built a safety railing above the existing short concrete railing.
The result was increased worker safety and mobility. Without the safety lines, the workers could accomplish more in less time. And the only cost was for the nails to put the railing together.
Innovation doesn’t always have to be large or complex. Sometimes a simple solution can have a big impact.
##ODOT##
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