MOT Incident Management & Response 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A lane spill of diesel fuel has occurred at a work zone. Who has primary authority to determine when the roadway is safe to reopen?
- The project engineer
- The tow truck operator
- The hazmat incident commander (typically fire department) (Correct answer)
- The state DOT traffic operations center
Correct answer: The hazmat incident commander (typically fire department)
The hazmat incident commander, usually from the fire department, determines when a spill is contained and decontaminated enough to safely reopen the road.
Question 2: When communicating with a Traffic Management Center (TMC) during a work zone incident, the field supervisor should report:
- Only the number of injured parties
- Location, nature of incident, lanes blocked, and estimated clearance time (Correct answer)
- Traffic queue length only
- Names of all involved drivers
Correct answer: Location, nature of incident, lanes blocked, and estimated clearance time
The TMC needs location, incident type, blocked lanes, and clearance estimates to activate dynamic message signs and adjust signal timing.
Question 3: Which of the following is a key benefit of pre-planned incident response agreements between contractors and emergency responders?
- They eliminate the need for on-site flaggers
- They reduce liability for the contractor in all incidents
- They speed response by defining roles and resource locations in advance (Correct answer)
- They allow the contractor to direct law enforcement activities
Correct answer: They speed response by defining roles and resource locations in advance
Pre-planned agreements establish clear roles, staging areas, and communication channels so all parties can respond without delay when an incident occurs.
Question 4: What is the purpose of 'shadow vehicles' or 'truck-mounted attenuators (TMA)' positioned upstream of an incident scene?
- To block traffic permanently
- To absorb impact from errant vehicles and protect workers and responders (Correct answer)
- To store emergency equipment
- To serve as a mobile command post
Correct answer: To absorb impact from errant vehicles and protect workers and responders
TMAs are crash cushions mounted on trucks that absorb and redirect errant vehicle impacts, protecting workers behind them.
Question 5: After an incident within a work zone is cleared, what should the MOT supervisor do before allowing construction traffic to resume?
- Immediately restart all work activities
- Verify TTC devices are restored to the approved traffic control plan (Correct answer)
- Wait 30 minutes for traffic to clear
- Submit the incident report to OSHA first
Correct answer: Verify TTC devices are restored to the approved traffic control plan
All temporary traffic control devices modified for incident response must be reinstated to the approved plan before normal work zone operations resume.
Question 6: When law enforcement is present at a work zone incident, the MOT supervisor should:
- Take command of all traffic management decisions
- Coordinate with law enforcement and defer to their direction on traffic control (Correct answer)
- Remove all TTC devices to allow police to direct traffic freely
- Suspend all incident documentation until police leave
Correct answer: Coordinate with law enforcement and defer to their direction on traffic control
Law enforcement has legal authority over roadway traffic control; MOT supervisors support their efforts and coordinate rather than override them.
Question 7: What information should be recorded immediately after a work zone incident for documentation purposes?
- Only weather conditions
- Time, location, involved parties, damage description, witness names, and TTC conditions at the time (Correct answer)
- The names of all emergency responders
- Only the cost of damages to equipment
Correct answer: Time, location, involved parties, damage description, witness names, and TTC conditions at the time
Comprehensive incident documentation including time, location, parties, damage, witnesses, and TTC conditions is critical for legal, insurance, and safety review purposes.
MOT Incident Management & Response 4
A lane spill of diesel fuel has occurred at a work zone.
Who has primary authority to determine when the roadway is safe to reopen?