Some skilled equipment operators have a sixth sense that allows them to focus on the task at hand while maintaining awareness of the bustling, often unpredictable activity going on around them. Unfortunately, no operator has yet developed X-ray vision that allows a viewpoint through engine cowlings, cab framing and other obstructions.
Such blind spots have contributed to hundreds of deaths at roadbuilding sites over the past 15 years, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Fatalities involving a ground worker being struck by a vehicle or equipment account for 73% of transportation-related work zone incidents, with half occurring when a construction vehicle was backing up.