Friday Five: Your Weekly Sign News Roundup

The Tennessee Department of Transportation hopes its new sign campaign will make drivers more focused and alert. (The Tennessean)

Friday, May 18, 2012 — Highway Fatality Signs Alert Motorists to the Dangers of Distracted and Unsafe Driving The Tennessee Department of Transportation has started a jarring new highway billboard campaign that reports the annual roadway fatalities in the state. The signs, which are updated each day, have reported 352 deaths on Tennessee roads in 2012. Distracted driving, driving under the influence, speeding, and driving without seatbelts are the most common factors in the majority of these fatal accidents. The billboards also intermittently display motorcycle fatalities, which total at 38 this year. The numbers may be gruesome, but officials are confident that the billboards will function as a wake-up call to complacent drivers. In 2012 alone, highway fatalities have risen a shocking 13% from the previous year, a number that TDOT hopes to combat with the startling new campaign.

A Toluene chemical warning label can help prevent harm to workers that are handling this hazardous material. (ChemicalLabels.com)

AV Manufacturing Company Vivid Image Inc. Cited With OSHA Violations After Fatality The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a Theresa, Wisconsin audio-visual manufacturing company with twelve safety violations. Two violations were noted as willful – that is, the proprietors’ actions displayed voluntary disregard for the law. OSHA began investigations following the death of one worker and the hospitalization of another, and found that they were due to exposure to the chemical toluene at Vivid Image’s plant on November 29, 2011. The fine for these proposed penalties totals at $64,600. Vivid Image has also been placed in OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program, which requires a series of follow-up inspections to make sure participating companies continue to comply with the law.

Crane Danger signs like this one can help prevent accidents. (MySafetySign.com)

Safety Sign Company Releases Crane Signs to Protect Workers MySafetySign.com has launched a new series of crane signs to serve as safety tools for construction workers and construction vehicle operators. Most of these signs are instructional, and use graphics to show workers how to operate cranes safely. Just two days ago in Sydney, Australia, a crane crashed into several cars on the Anzac Bridge, putting motorists in the hospital and closing traffic lanes for over an hour. Cranes, when not properly operated, can be extremely dangerous, to their drivers and to those around them. MySafetySign’s new line has positive implications for the safety of those that work in and around the construction business.

Other towns, like Lincoln, Nebraska (pictured above) have already banned feather signs altogether. (Daily Astorian)

Feathered Signs Fan Controversy in Seaside, Oregon Colorful feathered signs in Seaside, Oregon have sparked controversy in the small coastal town. City officials claim that the businesses hanging the bright feather-shaped signs to advertise their stores are in violation of the city’s sign ordinance. Since the feathers tend to wave out over the sidewalk, which is city property, passersby have complained that they tend to infringe on the pedestrian’s right of way, where people walk. Despite this conundrum of private and public property, City Planner Kevin Cupples has given the go-ahead to the Seaside City Council and Planning Commission to begin developing better regulations for the signs.

The Harris County Emergency Operations Center displays during a regionwide test of the new emergency alert system.

Digital Emergency Billboard Alert System Implemented in Four Texas Counties Four Texas counties have partnered with an outdoor advertising firm to institute a new billboard-based emergency notification system. The LED highway boards will feature regular advertisements most of the time. However, in the event of an emergency, messages alerting motorists will replace any paid placement. Harris, Galveston, Fort Bend and Brazoria County officials have pledged participation in the Gulf Coast Emergency Communications Network. This week, a total of eleven billboards will be incorporated into the network, with four more scheduled for installment in the upcoming month.

– R. Sapon-White