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    <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
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    <language>en-us</language>
    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
      <url>https://trid.trb.org/Images/PageHeader-wTitle.jpg</url>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/</link>
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    <item>
      <title>The Effect of Nighttime Lighting on Construction Workers' Safety</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2714463</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research evaluated the effectiveness of nighttime construction lighting systems in improving worker visibility and safety while minimizing glare impacts on motorists in Nebraska work zones. The study combined an industry survey with controlled field testing to assess current lighting practices and quantify lighting performance. Survey responses from construction professionals documented commonly used lighting systems, perceived adequacy, safety impacts, and public concerns related to glare. Field experiments were conducted at the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility using LED, halogen, and balloon light towers. Lighting configurations were systematically varied by mounting height, aiming angle, and rotation angle. Worker visibility was evaluated using horizontal illuminance based on Federal Highway Administration recommendations, and driver glare was assessed using veiling luminance ratios in accordance with Illuminating Engineering Society RP-8-22 standards. Results indicate that lighting performance depends primarily on configuration rather than lighting type alone, and only a limited number of configurations satisfied both illuminance and glare criteria. The findings can be used to guide safer nighttime work zone lighting setup and support the development of Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT)-specific lighting recommendations.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 24 Jun 2026 17:03:20 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2714463</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Assessing Injury Risk Factors among Construction Workers in Highway Work Zones</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2640443</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Construction workers in highway work zones frequently encounter considerable injury risks. Numerous hazards, including heavy equipment, vehicular traffic, and challenging environmental conditions, elevate the likelihood of severe injuries. This research aims to investigate the contributing factors to construction accidents in highway work zones. The historical injury data utilized in this study was Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Enforcement Data. A total of 3,750 highway work zone injury records were extracted between 1983 and 2022. This study employed a Logistic Regression model to assess the impact of various risk factors on accident occurrences. Model results showed that demographic characteristics, environmental conditions, and sources of injury have a significant relationship with construction worker injuries in highway work zones. The results clarified the risk factors and their impact direction and magnitude on highway work zone accidents. The findings of this study can help workers, contractors, and policymakers develop more effective preventions and focused remedies in highway work zones to enhance worker safety.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2026 17:09:37 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2640443</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Augmenting Highway Workers’ Hearing of Backup Alarm Sounds in a Noisy Workplace Using Speech Enhancement Generative Adversarial Network (SEGAN)</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2640360</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Backup alarm signals are crucial to alert nearby workers of the potential dangers of reversing mobile equipment at construction sites. However, due to the loud ambient noise on construction sites, workers may wear hearing protection devices (HPD), potentially impacting their ability to detect these alarms. There is a lack of an existing framework that can protect workers from loud and complex noise but preserve the audibility of reverse signal alarms. This study addresses the gap by developing a novel framework using Speech Enhancement Generative Adversarial Network (SEGAN) to augment the audibility of backup alarm signals for construction workers exposed to loud noises. The SEGAN model was trained on a large-scale equipment sound data set incorporating 4 types of backup alarms and 26 background noise conditions. We performed evaluations on an independent, unseen test set with varying signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) using objective metrics such as PESQ, CSIG, CBAK, COVL, and SSNR. This model can be utilized to develop a new noise-canceling device, which will have great potential to improve the safety of work zones.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2026 17:09:37 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2640360</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Accurate Collection and Reporting of Worker Presence in Work Zones</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2680117</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Highway work zones remain high-risk environments due to the close interaction between workers, live traffic, and heavy equipment. While platforms like the Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and state Department of Transportation (DOT) traveler information maps provide location and traffic impact data, real-time, verified information regarding actual worker presence is often unavailable. This data gap limits the effectiveness of smart work zone deployments and emerging connected vehicle applications. This study evaluated device-based location technologies for highway work zone applications by comparing Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) approaches. Results indicated that BLE devices relying on crowdsourced networks produced inconsistent reporting and large location errors, particularly in rural areas, while GNSS devices provided more stable and temporally consistent data but involved tradeoffs related to cost, battery life, and data accessibility. To address these limitations, the research developed the WZ-Gateway Node, an open-source prototype that utilizes shared communication to reduce recurring costs. Complementing the hardware, the MU Worker Presence Platform was developed to process device-level data into validated worker presence attributes. By applying spatial buffering and activity classification logic, the platform filters false positives and protects worker privacy while accurately associating field activity with work zone characteristics. Field evaluations confirmed the platform’s ability to generate WZDx-compliant feeds with real-time, verified worker presence information. These findings offer a practical roadmap for Missouri DOT and other transportation agencies to enhance traveler safety, smart work zone operations, and connected vehicle applications by basing worker presence alerts on actual field conditions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 08:34:48 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2680117</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Digital Twins for Detecting Worker Geofence Violations in Road Construction Work Zones</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2669389</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Work zone intrusions have been recognized as a safety-critical incident in road construction, often leading to injuries and fatalities. The causes of intrusions are twofold: (i) driver recklessness or distraction, and (ii) worker violations of the work zone. While majority of current solutions focused on addressing driver-related issues, worker violation should not be overlooked, as it increases the risk of workers being struck by vehicles. Detecting worker violation can be challenging, requiring an understanding of work zone boundaries and real-time worker positions. To address this challenge, this study proposed a digital twin–based solution to (i) generate the geofence of work zone by deploying channelizing device, (ii) monitor worker presence and positions via beacon sensors and high-accuracy GPS receivers, and (iii) identify worker violation of work zone. The system was validated in a simulated and controlled work zone and achieved accurate violation detection with limited latency. This solution is scalable to integrate vehicle-related sensing and enable communication with the work zone data exchange (WZDx).]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2026 17:00:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2669389</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Investigating the Contributing Factors to Crashes with and without the Presence of Work Zone Workers Using Machine Learning Techniques</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2562238</link>
      <description><![CDATA[As the nation’s roadways continue to deteriorate, the presence of work zones on US highways is anticipated to increase, highlighting the crucial need for the safety of both work zone workers and road users. This study combined descriptive statistics and Shapley feature important analysis to examine work zone crash data in Ohio from 2019 to 2023. The goal was to identify the factors contributing to crash severity with and without the presence of work zone workers. Various machine learning models, including k-nearest neighbors, random forest, eXtreme gradient boosting, and Light gradient boosting machines, were employed to predict crash outcomes across three data sets. LightGBM emerged as the best-performing model. Shapley values were then utilized to interpret the contributing factors to crash injury severity. The analysis indicated that shoulder and lap belt use consistently reduced crash severity across all data sets. Multi-vehicle crashes, sideswipes, angles, and rear-end crashes were among the variables that had an increasing influence on crash severity across the three data sets. The partial dependence plot revealed that the mobile work zone type significantly influenced worker-present crash severity, while out-of-state drivers were a significant factor in non-worker-present crashes. The findings of this study are intended to guide transportation practitioners and policymakers in enhancing work zone safety.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 15:28:27 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2562238</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Improving the Mental Health of the Construction Workforce: Effective Interventions</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2562155</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Construction workers’ mental health is being increasingly compromised by stressors that are prevalent within the complex construction environment. The need to mitigate or eliminate these stressors served as the motivation for this study, which aims to group and categorize mental health intervention strategies into meaningful dimensions. A survey of 343 construction workers was conducted to evaluate the strategies identified from the literature, and a factor analysis was employed to reduce the strategies into latent dimensions. The analysis identified three dimensions (employee well-being, workplace harmony, and workplace flexibility) that explain 64.07% of the cumulative variance and emphasize the fundamental areas that need attention for improved mental health outcomes. The findings of this study provide a structured framework that policymakers can utilize to prioritize mental health interventions within the construction industry.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 15:28:26 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2562155</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>A Thematic Analysis of Mental Health Challenges and Strategies in the Construction Industry</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2562132</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The mental health of construction workers is a critical issue, as they face many unique challenges such as high-pressure environments, long working hours, and strenuous physical demands on the job. This study employed a qualitative approach to investigate construction workers’ perceptions of the mental health challenges they are subjected to in the workplace and to devise strategies to overcome them. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 construction managers, engineers, and tradesmen, and a thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The results revealed five themes: stigma and cultural norms, workplace stressors, role-specific challenges, lack of support and recognition in the workplace, and the need for a supportive climate. Strategies for improving their mental health, such as workshops to address stigma, peer networks, and targeted mental health policies, were identified. The findings of this study aim to assist policymakers, employers, and industry stakeholders in addressing the mental health challenges and improving the wellbeing of the construction workforce.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 15:28:26 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2562132</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluating the Impact of Training Programs for the Mental Health of the Construction Workforce</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2562092</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Mental health is a critical aspect of workforce well-being, especially within the construction industry, which is characterized by high levels of stress, long hours, and the physical demands of the job. Over the last few years, a marked increase in mental health challenges was observed among construction workers, with many experiencing stress-induced conditions and other psychological issues. Given the diversity of mental health risks, from anxiety and depression to substance abuse, the effectiveness of current training programs aimed at addressing mental health issues is essential yet under-researched. This study aims to develop comprehensive training materials highlighting the myriad of mental health challenges and the preventive measures to be adopted. This study developed materials to educate workers and employers about the recognition and prevention of mental health stressors in the construction workplace. Multiple training sessions were conducted in Texas, and a standard questionnaire was employed to evaluate their knowledge. The data was analyzed, and the results revealed a significant increase in the participant awareness of mental health stressors and intervention strategies. The results of this study may aid construction companies in employing safety measures that improve the psychological well-being of their workforce.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 27 Jan 2026 16:16:16 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2562092</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Analyzing the Interrelationships among Mental Health Stressors Affecting the Construction Workforce</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2562075</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Construction workers are regularly exposed to a wide range of stressors that compromise their mental health. These stressors can be mitigated or eliminated by tailor-made strategies to reduce the workers’ stress levels and promote better health, but they must first be identified, ranked, and analyzed. This study aims to identify the stressors through two avenues: an extensive literature search and a survey questionnaire designed to reveal the stressors of most concern. After identifying the stressors, their impact on construction workers’ mental health and the interrelationships among them were analyzed. The literature search served as the basis for the development of the survey questionnaire, which was distributed to construction managers, engineers, and tradesmen and yielded 343 valid responses. The Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the collected data, and the results revealed significant correlations between mental health stressors such as workloads, organizational stressors, and task stressors. The findings of this study offer significant insights for policymakers on how to formulate interventions to promote sound mental health for a construction workforce.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 27 Jan 2026 16:16:16 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2562075</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Workplace Stressors and Their Influence on the Mental Health of Construction Workers</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2562048</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Mental health challenges are of major concern in the construction industry. Previous research has identified the stressors responsible for these challenges, but the goal of this study is to evaluate the importance of each and understand why they differ across personal and workplace characteristics. To achieve this, a survey questionnaire was developed to gather first-hand information about the mental health challenges experienced in the construction sector. The survey was distributed to 343 construction workers, and the responses revealed that the top-ranked stressors are heavy workloads, long working hours, and work-related fatigue. The results of one-way ANOVA revealed significant differences in levels of stress caused by variables such as marital status, job role, and number of children, with married individuals reporting higher stress related to financial insecurity and work-life imbalance, and workers with more children reporting more difficulty in balancing family responsibilities with long working hours. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the key mental health stressors faced by construction professionals and highlight the role that demographics play in their ranking.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 27 Jan 2026 16:16:16 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2562048</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Development of a Health and Wellness Assessment for KYTC Personnel</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2611092</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Highway construction workers operate in high-stress, hazardous settings where they have to perform physically taxing labor in environments where exposure to variable weather conditions, heavy equipment, high volumes of vehicle traffic, and other conditions that induce stress and anxiety are the norm. Up to 70% of workers in this industry have reported experiencing mental health issues, including secondary traumatic stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders. Few state departments of transportation, however, offer adequate resources staff can draw on to effectively manage their psychological well-being. To help Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) roadway maintenance and construction workers develop the requisite skills to manage their mental health and handle high-stress situations, the Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) developed and delivered a mental wellness training for KYTC staff focused on stress management techniques, healthy habits (including nutrition), and coping mechanisms. Post-training surveys found the training improved awareness of stressful and traumatic workplace experiences and helped participants feel more confident in their abilities to negotiate challenges and implement stress management techniques. Following training, participants also expressed a greater willingness to follow wellness and safety protocols in stressful situations. The Cabinet should continue to offer the training, but it needs to be customized to address the unique environments and occupational roles occupied by staff. KYTC will also benefit from holding short refresher trainings, more fully integrating considerations about mental health into policy and planning, and appointing peer advocates to demonstrate and promote habits that foster psychological wellness.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2025 09:02:18 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2611092</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Automated Truck Mounted Attenuator (ATMA)</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2582595</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technology has the potential to significantly increase work zone safety. Each day, MnDOT maintenance employees and contractors are at risk of being involved in crashes when performing road work. To mitigate this risk, MnDOT uses truck mounted attenuators – or crash cushions – to help protect roadside workers.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2025 15:31:16 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2582595</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Reinforcement learning-based optimal control of wearable alarms for consistent roadway workers’ reactions to traffic hazards</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2571801</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Recent innovations in roadway construction include work zone intrusion alert (WZIA) systems that detect traffic hazards (e.g., speeding or intruding vehicles) and raise alarms (e.g., sounds, lights) using preset attributes (e.g., volume, duration) to warn human workers-on-foot. Designing alarms raised by wearable warning devices (e.g., smartwatch) for roadway workers remains an emerging area of transportation safety research. As roadway work zones begin to adopt these novel warning systems, issues relating to alarm attributes may persist. Different individuals’ alarm preferences and alarm fatigue towards repeated exposure to constant alarm attributes can lead to decreases in worker vigilance towards traffic hazards. Reinforcement learning (RL)-based controls can adjust alarm attributes in real-time to counteract these issues, ensuring consistent worker reactions. This study proposes an RL-based approach to train agents that control alarm attributes under different reward functions that prioritize different worker safety reactions (e.g., body movement, head turn). Results show that a reward function with equal weight for each type of reaction produces an alarm agent that ensures consistent safe worker reactions to traffic hazards. Findings also inform the future development of RL-based alarms (i.e., fine-tuning) to counteract the lack of safe worker reactions observed in real-world work zones.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 29 Jul 2025 13:56:49 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2571801</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Temporal Evolution of Workforce Fatality-Linked Factors in the Transportation Construction Sector</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2569666</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Despite advancements in safety measures, fatalities in the transportation sector remain disproportionately higher than in other industries. Transportation sector fatalities arise from a combination of demographic, environmental, and occupational factors that amplify the overall risk. While strides have been made in understanding the factors contributing to fatalities, there remains a critical gap in research focused on their temporal evolution. The goal of this study is to investigate the temporal evolution of fatality-linked association factors in the transportation construction sector. The methodology encompassed three stages. Stage 1 was preprocessing the data: the US Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, covering 3,792 fatality cases with 12 different features and 630 associated categories. Stage 2 applied the Apriori algorithm to generate if–then rules and identify critical factors. Stage 3 conducted a change mining analysis to examine temporal shifts in the rules for three demographic groups over three time periods, highlighting the risky combinations of features in the fatality data. Analysis revealed that for the first demographic group (White males), a critical combination of factors included (1) being an unskilled construction laborer; (2) working in the private sector; and (3) being struck by mobile equipment. But from a temporal lens, the significance of this combination decreased over time, potentially reflecting an industry-wide intervention. For the second group (males of other races), risky combinations evolved from pickup truck incidents involving employees (1) aged 20–24 years; and (2) with less than 1 year tenure in private ownership to work zone incidents involving (1) a forward-moving vehicle; (2) employees of large firms; and (3) projects in the South region. Finally, the third group (females) shows a consistent combination: (1) directing traffic; and (2) being a crossing guard. This work sheds light on historical trends and serves as a foundation for informed decision-making and targeted intervention strategies.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 25 Jul 2025 17:16:59 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2569666</guid>
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