The Road to a Culture of SafetyA NACE choose your own adventure

Wayne Sandberg, P.E.Washington County Deputy Public Works Director

County Engineer

Where’s Minnesota?

North Central Region

Western Region

South Central Region

North East Region

South East Region

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About Minnesota• Population:

• 87 Counties

• 8 MnDOT Districts

• 5.32 Million Pop.

• 92% Seat Belt Use

• Washington County• East Metro

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Toward Zero Deaths

Why Minnesota?• Minnesota has made improvements to

highway safety – some are dramatic

• Reduction in Fatalities since 2003

• Crash Rate amongst lowest in Nation 0.72 Fatal crashes per 100 million VMT• National Average is over >1

Why Minnesota?• Over the past decade – in Minnesota

We have developed a culture of safety.• Partnership of agencies

– Counties, MnDOT, Public Safety, Public Health

• This culture is pervasive– Affects our thoughts and actions– Acts as initiative for change– Grows exponentially

Chose your own adventure• How can you create your own culture of

safety?• Today you are going to create your own

roadmap to your culture of safety

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTUREThe Road to a Culture of Safety

Building a Culture of SafetyRoadway Safety Showcase

• Mendocino County, California

• Catalyst for culture– Team brought back

ideas– Team was energized

• What did we learn that was so important?

Building a Culture of Safety

Roadway Safety Showcase• There are no silver bullets for safety

– Safety involves doing a lot of little things– Create a systemic approach in your

jurisdiction– Proactively implement good solutions– Identify funding specifically for safety– Improve your signs

• Guide signs• Curve Warning Signs

Building a Culture of SafetyPartnerships

• Minnesota partners in safety– Toward Zero Deaths– MCEA Safety Committee– Minnesota Dept of

Transportation– Public Health (state and

local)– Department of Public

Safety / State Patrol– County Sheriff

Departments

– Local Police Chiefs and Departments

– University of Minnesota• LTAP• Civil Engineering• Mechanical Engineering

– Mn Guidestar– Professional Organizations

• ITE• ITS America / MN• APWA

ROADMAP #1• Partnerships (choose one):

– I will work with my association to create a county highway safety committee

– In my own county – I will create a highway safety team – to include public health, sheriff, public works.

– I will create an internal highway operations safety team comprised of operators and engineers to brainstorm safety ideas.

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

Building a Culture of SafetyKnow your system

• Minnesota Crash Mapping and Analysis Tool

• Visit the sites of crashes – not just fatal but A injury too.– You have a right to crash reports on your

roads – get them.– Look at it – what do you see?– How do you feel walking/standing at the

site– What is YOUR engineering judgment

telling you happened here?

Roadmap #2• I will take my sheriff out to lunch. We

will talk about safety and he/she will agree to: – call me to every fatal crash scene– Or..help me learn every local police chief

on a first name basis by having breakfast with every one of them

– Or…invite me to morning roll call once per month to deliver a safety/engineering message to the deputies

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

Building a Culture of SafetyKnow your system

• Highway Maintenance Staff– The eyes and ears of your highway

system. • Empower them to bring forward

information to improve safety– They know stuff you don’t– Use to assist in roadway design

Roadmap #3• Know your system (choose one):

– I will ride along with my snowplow operators for a shift once a month over the winter

– Or…I will have lunch with my maintenance staff at least twice per month

– Or…I will visit at least one location of an Fatal or A injury per week for the entire summer.

– Or…I will incorporate my maintenance team into my road design processes by asking them what the problems are, and then a 30% plan review

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

Building a Culture of SafetyProactive Safety

• Implement what you learn in areas that are similar…proactively…systemically.– Black Spot Analysis / Pin Maps

• Oops, better do something.– This is not effective

• You are chasing crashes – they already happened

• In rural areas – you never have enough crashes to create black spots

• The Answer = PROACTIVE

Roadmap #4• Proactive Solutions (choose one):

– I will develop one proactive solution based on my field knowledge• and….I will implement this in at least one

additional location that is similar. – Or….I will implement a curve chevron

program in my county – (at every curve with a advisory > 10 mph less than posted).

– Or…I will implement the Safety Edge on every future paving project.

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

Building a Culture of SafetyFunding

• Creating a fund specifically for safety is important to the culture

• Minnesota HSIP example• 2010: 54% of Minnesota’s 411 fatalities

occurred on local system.

County High-ways39%

Munic-ipal8%

Other Roads6%

State Highways46%

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Building a Culture of SafetyFunding

Funds split based on percent of K and A crashes in each District.

Example:

12% of K and A crashes occurred in District 6 (3-yr period).

District 6 receives 12% of annual HSIP funding.

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Roadmap #5• Safety Funding (choose one):

– Work with your state/ATP to promote specific funding for local safety projects

– OR….work within your 2013 budget to develop a safety category• The amount isn’t as important as getting this

category started• Example – Washington Co. - $100,000 in

“Safety and Capacity”

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

Building a Culture of SafetyLegislature

• Get to know your legislators. • You provide them with access to:

– Knowledge– Expertise– Opinion

• ASK them for stuff – this is how our government works– They want to get you stuff– They want credit for it

Building a Culture of SafetyLegislature

• Local Road Improvement Program– Started in 2001– Expanded in 2005– Proposed funding this year – $14.2M

• Focus on Safety

Roadmap #6• Contact each of your legislators to

discuss transportation before the session starts. Build a relationship.

• Or…volunteer to testify on a legislative item for your organization

• Or…join your organizations legislative committee as an active member

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

Building a Culture of SafetyYou

• You are an expert• You are a professional

– What do you profess?– Where do you profess it?

• Your can make connections other can’t• You have influence others don’t• You can make a difference

Roadmap #7• Offer to give a speech about highway

safety, or your highway program– Rotary, Lions, etc– Your child's school– City Councils / Town Boards – County Fair– Next Year at NACE

• Use Social Media to promote information

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

Conclusion• Your Roadmap is filled out• You’ve chosen your own adventure• CHALLENGE:

– Bring this back to your office– Hang it up so everyone can see it – Have your staff hold you accountable.

• If you do this – you will save a life• And…you may be up here presenting

next year…

Questions / Discussion

• Wayne Sandberg– County Engineer– Deputy Public Works Director

• Washington County Public Works– 651-430-4339– wayne.sandberg@co.washington.mn.us

• www.co.washington.mn.us