Ministry endorses roadwork safety unit.

The stop/slow paddles used on highway construction sites were not adequate enough for safety, says a business owner from the northwestern Ontario community of Jellicoe. So, in an effort to make his construction crews more visible, Gord Brinkman invented the Roadwork Safety Unit (RSU).

"While working on the highway with my people, I saw that many people didn't see the stop sign," Brinkman says. "I wanted to make my construction people more visible."

The RSU is a complete, mobile traffic control management system which is used for temporary highway/road operations. It hosts solid red and flashing amber regulation-size traffic lights, giving more visibility and greater advance notice to motorists approaching a roadway construction site.

It offers increased safety to both the traffic control people and the public, Brinkman says. Also, using the unit removes the worker from the direct line of traffic, thereby reducing the possiblility of accidents.

"This way, the workers won't blend in with the scenery; it doesn't matter how bright their orange vest is, the workers can be hard to see," Brinkman says.

The back of the RSU, which faces the oncoming traffic, has a large reflective black and yellow checkered arrowboard with flashing amber lights. This has a dual purpose of either directing traffic to the appropriate lane, or it can be used as a caution bar by not lighting up the arrow's point.

The device has two-way radios so traffic controllers can communicate with each other. The RSU has an operating distance capability of three kilometres between two units. It is also equipped with floodlights which light up the area where the controller is for increased safety during darkness and inclement weather.

The RSU attaches to a wired motor vehicle by a multi-fit hitch, giving the unit easy transport to the site. Once there, the power for the traffic and floodlights is generated from the vehicle's battery, or the unit can be detached and operated by the solar power charging unit and battery.

During National Transportation Week, June 1 to 9, the Ministry of Transportation announced its endorsement of the RSU. Thunder Bay-Superior North MPP Michael Gravelle helped Brinkman get the ministry approval. He says the devices will save lives.

"This is clearly an exciting development, especially for safety," Gravelle says. "(The RSU) has enormous potential to save lives. People react when they see things; to people, a red light means stop. There will be far less accidents on the job site."

These units have great potential not only for northwestern Ontario, but also the rest of the province now that the ministry has given its approval, Gravelle says:

"It's great to have an invention like this come out of northwestern Ontario - an invention which can have an impact on safety across the province," Gravelle says.

Gravelle says an added bonus to the RSU is that it is a technological advance without losing jobs, as a traffic control person is still required to operate the device.

Brinkman spent two years working on the RSU and is now marketing it for sale. The unit costs between $5,000 and $6,000, depending on what features people would like with it.

"That's a very low cost for safety," Brinkman says.