Challenge

Road workers face high risk in live traffic from speeding drivers, poor compliance and changing site conditions.

Solution

Ventia collaborates with industry to lift guidelines, apply data driven traffic tools and strengthen incident response.

Impact

Stronger controls, smarter technology and faster response reduce incursions, exposure time and risk for workers and motorists.

Roadside worksites are among the most complex and highrisk environments in the critical infrastructure sector. Crews operate in live traffic conditions, influenced by driver behaviour, weather, and constantly changing road dynamics.  

Despite ongoing efforts, the risks remain significant, with fatalities and serious injuries continuing to occur across the industry.

Ventia sees these risks firsthand. That is why Ventia actively partners with industry to support stronger guidance, improved controls, and practical solutions that deliver measurable safety outcomes on the ground.

Lifting the Standard Through Improved Guidelines

In 2024, Ventia participated in the Road Worker Safety Working Group alongside other industry stakeholders. Together, the group developed the Road Worker Safety Industry Guideline, reinforcing a clear message: minimum standards alone are no longer sufficient. Meaningful safety improvement requires an industrywide commitment to stronger controls, consistent practices, and a unified focus on protecting frontline workers.

The guideline challenges the sector to go beyond existing requirements under the Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management and AS 1742.3. It recognises the realities faced on worksites, including speeding, sign disobedience, and aggressive driver behaviour, and calls for controls that better reflect these risks.

Ventia supports this national movement to raise the bar on traffic management safety, aligning its operations with a broader industry shift towards higher standards and continuous improvement.

A Commitment to Innovation in Traffic Management Safety

Creating safer roadside environments requires a sector wide willingness to innovate, trial new approaches, and remove barriers to safer practice. The national guideline highlights the role of industry leaders in championing innovation and working collectively towards a Vision Zero outcome.

Ventia shares this commitment. Through active participation in industry forums, contributions to guidance development, and the evaluation of contemporary traffic management methods, the organisation continues to explore practical, forward-thinking ways to reduce risk and trauma on worksites.

This approach recognises that safety outcomes improve fastest when organisations are prepared to learn from each other, test new ideas, and embed proven solutions across their operations.

In line with this commitment, Ventia has been applying smarter, data driven traffic management technologies that improve visibility, encourage safer driver behaviour, and strengthen protection for workers on the ground. 

Ventia’s commitment to innovation, highquality incident response capability, and active participation in industry safety initiatives demonstrates the role major operators can play in lifting national safety performance.

Smarter Traffic Management: From HighTech Tools to Simple, Effective Solutions

Modern roadside work zones rely on more than cones and signs. Increasingly, they depend on digital tools that help guide motorists safely and efficiently around roadside activities. Ventia has been exploring and applying innovative traffic management technologies that support safer outcomes for both workers and road users.

One example is the use of SmartVMS digital detour systems, trialled during a short-term rehabilitation project on in New Zealand. Traditional static signage often left drivers confused or rerouting too late. In contrast, SmartVMS provided realtime, data driven detour guidance using floating car data. This gave motorists clearer, earlier rerouting options and reduced traffic pressure around crews. The trial demonstrated how realtime traffic intelligence can support both productivity and safety on live roads.

Another initiative delivering practical safety benefits is the Waze for Cities integration. Crews from Ventia’s Transport sector identified that drivers relying on navigation apps such as Google Maps or Waze were frequently being guided directly into closure points or circling back into work zones. By inputting closures into Waze for Cities, with automatic syncing to Google Maps, navigation apps rerouted motorists before they reached the worksite. This reduced accidental incursions and improved safety for both workers and motorists. Realtime visibility of user reported incidents also enhanced network awareness and responsiveness across projects.

Looking ahead, Ventia is working with industry partners to bring two new safety innovations to market, both focused on improving conditions for roadside workers. Designed to address realworld risks encountered on live roads, these solutions are intended to complement existing controls and contribute to safer, more resilient roadside operations once launched. 

Excellence in Incident Response as a Safety Enabler

Incident response plays a critical role in protecting both road users and road workers. Effective response reduces exposure time, limits congestion, and lowers the risk of secondary crashes.

Ventia delivers scalable incident response services across a wide range of scenarios, from routine breakdowns and debris removal to major incidents requiring coordinated traffic control. This capability is underpinned by three core elements.

Rapid, coordinated response ensures teams arrive quickly, manage scenes safely, and restore traffic flow as soon as practicable. Faster clearance reduces network disruption and minimises broader community and economic impacts. 

Highly trained personnel form the backbone of this response. Incident responders undertake extensive training in road safety, traffic management, emergency response, and practical driver education. Where applicable, qualifications extend to Certificate IV level programs that include EV readiness modules, ensuring capability remains consistent and future focused.

Strong safety foundations further support this work. Standardised high visibility uniforms improve responder recognition, 5star ANCAP vehicle policies strengthen fleet safety, and a social model approach promotes safer behaviours across individuals, workplaces, and the community.

Influencing Behaviour Through Engagement

Beyond operational delivery, Ventia recognises the importance of influencing road user behaviour. Engagement with sporting clubs, motor racing groups, education bodies, and national forums helps reinforce a simple message: roads are workplaces, and those who operate on them deserve the same level of protection as any other worker.

These efforts align with the Safe System philosophy embedded in the national guideline, which emphasises shared responsibility and the design of forgiving environments that protect people despite inevitable human error.

Leading a Safer Future Through Collaboration

Improving road worker safety requires coordinated action across government, contractors, road agencies, and the traffic management industry. Ongoing monitoring, reporting, and evaluation are critical to ensuring safety controls deliver meaningful outcomes.

Ventia’s commitment to innovation, highquality incident response capability, and active participation in industry safety initiatives demonstrates the role major operators can play in lifting national safety performance.

By working collaboratively, embracing continuous improvement, and maintaining a clear focus on practical outcomes, the industry can significantly reduce the risks faced by roadside workers and create safer journeys for all road users.

This article was originally published in the Detours Magazine