The American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA) has launched two web-based instructional modules that provide professional training about stringless paving and safety on concrete pavement construction sites.
Developed by ACPA and sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration, the approximately 90-minute courses are offered free of charge to participants involved in highway and heavy construction, rehabilitation and preservation. The courses are targeted to paving contractors, as well as agency personnel, consulting engineers and others involved in construction management and/or project delivery.
The courses are available at http://acpa.scholarlab.com/. After registering, users will be asked to enter a coupon code, which is pavement1 (pavement and the number one). Registration and entry of the coupon code enables participants to take the course at no cost.
Both courses provide a rich learning environment, which includes well-illustrated presentations and course instructions by professional civil engineers; interviews with contractor personnel; and videos, photographs and animations to illustrate process steps or actions related to the subject matter.
The courses are each divided into seven sections, organized around key subtopics. Prior to advancing to the next section, participants will be required to complete simple, “hurdle tests,” multiple choice or true/false tests, to validate participation and comprehension of subject matter.
An optional “evidence of learning” exam is also administered at the conclusion of each module. Successful completion (70% or more correct answers) of the exam will allow participants to use an automatically generated certificate for company compliance requirements and/or 1.5 professional development hours (PDHs) for each course, where allowable by local licensing organizations.
About the course content
- Proper use of stringless paving technology – This course was developed in response to the growing interest in stringless paving technology for concrete pavement projects. First used in the 1990’s for earthwork, stringless (or 3-D) control has advanced and become proven technology for paving concrete highways, airports, streets and roads, and other facilities. Stringless paving is an alternative to conventional stringline paving, and uses electronic guidance systems to replace pins, sensors, and “stringline” to steer and control the surface pavement thickness and smoothness.
The course provides participants with an overview of the technology, and then, explains how stringless paving works, with specific discussions about equipment and instruments used in the process. The course also includes recommended best practices for working with stringless paving technology to yield a quality concrete pavement.
- Safety on concrete pavement construction sites – This course was developed specifically for training anyone who works directly on site, or has reason to visit concrete pavement construction sites. The course addresses safety issues unique to concrete paving, as well as fundamental information everyone working on site should know to stay safe. The need for such training is underscored by the increase in injuries and fatalities in U.S. construction work zones. Although overall job-related injuries leading to deaths have declined nearly 10% from 1995 to 2007, deaths from occupational injuries on road construction sites have increased, both in number and as a percentage.
The course addresses safety concerns around slipform paving equipment (paver, spreader, cure machine, construction bridges, etc.), batch plant, haul trucks, concrete saws, and the general paving site. The material will present what the construction crew and others on site need to know and understand about safety concerns. Safety managers are encouraged to include this course in their safety training programs.
ACPA, along with support and assistance from the FHWA and dozens of association members and Chapter/State personnel, developed the courses, which are presented by Gerald F. Voigt, P.E., ACPA President & CEO; Leif Wathne, P.E., ACPA Vice President of Highways and Federal Affairs, and Robert Rodden, P.E., ACPA Director – Technical Service & Product Development.
