At Impact Recovery, we believe in fostering a culture of knowledge sharing and community engagement. That’s why we sat down with Tim Lang, our Director of Business Development and Chair of the Temporary Traffic Control Committee for National ATSSA and a National Committee Technical Member. Tim’s extensive experience in the traffic safety industry, coupled with his passion for public well-being, makes him a standout leader.
In this Q&A, Tim sheds light on some of the most pressing topics in traffic safety, offering advice, debunking misconceptions, and emphasizing the role of thoughtful decision-making in building safer communities.
Tim Lang: “My advice for newcomers to the traffic safety industry, whether professionals or first-time buyers, is to dive in and get involved. Start by connecting with your local ATSSA chapter—it’s an excellent way to learn from industry veterans and stay updated on what is going on within your area regarding traffic safety.
If you want to dive deeper, consider attending local ITE or IMSA events, or even participating in national committees like AASHTO, the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, or Task Force 13, to name a few.
Additionally, talk to your customers and suppliers to learn who they rely on for information and guidance. Don’t overlook your state’s DOT as a resource; explore their website and engage directly to gather valuable insights. Approach your entry into the industry as a fact-finding mission, and the knowledge you gain will help you make informed decisions and build strong networks.”
Tim Lang: “Companies should start by taking a comprehensive look at the end user’s needs. Like any industry, traffic safety offers varying levels of quality and reliability, and it’s crucial to find the right fit.
Do your research to determine which products align best with your specific requirements. Don’t hesitate to ask vendors and manufacturers plenty of questions about their products—whether it’s about performance, durability, or long-term reliability. The more you understand, the better equipped you’ll be to make informed decisions that benefit both your company and the communities you serve.”
Tim Lang: “Traffic safety is a cornerstone of public health and community well-being. It’s not just about preventing accidents; it’s about creating environments where people feel safe walking, biking, and driving.
Effective traffic safety measures reduce injuries and fatalities, alleviate the burden on emergency services, and foster a sense of security that encourages active lifestyles. Safer roads lead to healthier, more vibrant communities where people of all ages can thrive without fear of traffic-related risks.
Additionally, your local city, county, and state employees work incredibly hard to create these healthy environments, but they may not see everything you see. Your input is invaluable. If you notice something on a project in development or have an idea that could enhance traffic safety, make sure you speak up. Community feedback plays a vital role in shaping safer and more effective infrastructure.”
Tim Lang’s insights serve as a powerful reminder that traffic safety is a collective responsibility. From newcomers eager to make their mark to seasoned professionals seeking innovative solutions, everyone has a role in creating safer roads.
At Impact Recovery, we’re proud to have leaders like Tim who champion the importance of thoughtful product selection and community engagement. Together, we can ensure that traffic safety remains a top priority, making our roads safer for everyone.
There are currently about 217 million people living with visual impairments, and of those 217 million people, 36 million are estimated to be completely blind. Obtaining visual information and moving from place to place, especially in crowded areas, can prove to be difficult for people with visual impairments. In 2023, the National Library of Medicine conducted a study to evaluate the extent to which people living with visual impairments are at risk of falling from railway station platforms. The train station can potentially be fatal, as 76% of those with visual impairments have reported an experience of falling from the platform and 91% reported almost falling.
The biggest issue the study found was a lack of fall prevention hoods, wide gaps between the platforms and train cars, and directional tactile pavers installed near the front end of the train cars. Researchers also wanted to use what they found to highlight opportunities for improvement of railways systems in terms of accommodating the visually impaired.
This is why Impact Recovery has designed a platform-mounted guarding system, called Sentinel Between Car Barrier System (BCB), to alert visually impaired riders to the space between the rail cars, letting them know that it is not a door opening. This allows them to avoid a gap and deters them from falling to the rails below.
Sentinel also offers reactive spring technology in the case of an emergency. Built into every Sentinel upright is our patented reactive spring system. A unique compression spring assembly is concealed within each post offering optimal strength to support our flexible uprights while allowing them to remain traversable.
Help protect people with visual impairments on your transit systems with the only platform-mounted between-car barrier system that meets the provisions by The Federal Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
Mizuno, T., & Tokuda, K. (2023b, March 21). Reducing falls among visually impaired individuals on railway platforms: Field research on environmental challenges and solutions. Heliyon. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10060185/
According to OSHA, there are between 35,000 and 62,000 injuries each year involving forklifts. These accidents can be caused by an array of different reasons, each just as dangerous and fatal as the next. A few of the most common forklift accidents include:
SlowStop® Protective Guarding offers an array of products to keep your warehouse safe and your workers always protected.
Proper warehouse and industrial protection are important to ensure the safety of warehouse workers and pedestrians inside of your warehouses. Help avoid this common forklift accident by making sure that your warehouse is properly protected with SlowStop® Protective Guarding.
Sources: Weyers, R. (2024, February 29). Top 10 most common forklift accidents [with statistics]: Conger. Conger Industries Inc. – Wisconsin’s Material Handling Experts. https://www.conger.com/forklift-accidents
Choosing the Best Delineator Post for Your Roads
When it comes to traffic safety, choosing the right delineator post is crucial. Delineator posts are essential for guiding drivers, marking changes in road alignment, and providing a clear separation between traffic lanes. Whether you’re working with a local traffic safety supplier, or with a global brand, we want to give you the breakdown of how to identify the right posts for your needs.
First, we want to highlight some of the differences between certain channelizing devices: both tubular markers and delineator posts can be used as channelizing devices in temporary and non-temporary traffic control zones. Channelizing devices guide and warn road users of conditions created by work activities in or near the roadway, ensuring smooth and gradual vehicular traffic flow. They include cones, tubular markers, vertical panels, drums, barricades, and longitudinal channelizing devices.
Tubular markers are commonly used in construction zones and detours but can also be employed permanently to delineate bike lanes, pedestrian pathways, or separate lanes in high-traffic areas. They have a minimum height of 18 inches (28 inches for freeways and high-speed highways), a width facing road users of 2 inches, and specific retro reflectorizing requirements depending on their height.
Delineator posts, while primarily used to mark roadway alignment, can serve as supplementary channelizing devices. They are often used permanently to indicate roadway alignment in areas with curves or lane transitions, providing continuous guidance in various conditions. The retroreflective elements on delineators must have minimum dimensions of 3 inches in both vertical and horizontal directions or a 3-inch diameter if circular.
Both devices enhance safety and traffic flow by clearly marking travel paths and boundaries.
That being said, it’s important to first note that all companies providing traffic delineation should provide specific product details explaining the ins and outs of their units. You can typically find this information within a company website or by contacting their team. On top of this, most companies have multiple models of delineators for multiple uses. In a lot of scenarios, many factors play into how a post performs, from the base it uses, the thickness of the actual post, all the way down to the material it’s made of. The question is: which delineator post do I buy for my needs? Therefore, reading through a product’s breakdown of uses, features, and applications can be beneficial when it comes to making a selection. Here is an example of what that may look like:
In the case of our company, Impact Recovery offers three types of delineator posts designed to meet various needs: the MP2 post, the Tuff post, and the OmegaPost. Here’s a closer look at each to help you decide which one is best for your roads.
MP2 Post: The Multi-Purpose Solution
The MP2 post is our most versatile option, suitable for a wide range of applications including general traffic delineation, centerline traffic separation, marking changes in road alignment, bike lane protection, and parking lot marking. Here are some key features of the MP2 post:
Tuff Post: The High Visibility Model
The Tuff Post can be made up to 48 inches in height and used for various delineation applications where increased visibility is required. The post is designed to withstand slower speed traffic areas, of up to 55 MPH in max speed. However, they offer larger diameter posts than your standard MP2.
OmegaPost: Highest Impact Resistance
Our newest product, the OmegaPost, sets the standard for impact resistance. Tested at 200 hits at 70 MPH without failure, it is the highest impact-tested delineator currently available on the market.
In conclusion, selecting the right delineator post depends on your specific needs and environmental conditions. Ensure that you communicate your needs to your traffic safety representative and have an open conversation over the safety requirements of your specific state/county. The right company should be able to convey their post’s abilities, and therefore, once you have a clear understanding of the unique benefits of each type of post, you can make an informed decision that enhances road safety and meets your traffic management requirements. Contact us today to learn more about our delineator posts and how they can improve safety on your roads.
In honor of National Bike Safety Month, we would like to highlight some of the ways that you can help keep cyclists safe out on the road. In 2021, the National Safety Council reported that 1,230 people died in bicycle-related accidents. We would like to discuss some helpful tips that can be used to prevent these accidents and how our products at Impact Recovery can help protect pedestrians and cyclists.
It is important for cyclists to have proper protection when they are on busy, public roads. Riding directly next to traffic leaves cyclists exposed and vulnerable to fatal accidents. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, protected bike lanes reduce the risk of injury by 75% compared to unprotected bike lanes. This is why Impact Recovery offers an array of traffic safety products for pedestrians, such as our OmegaPost, MP2 post, and Tuff Post.
The OmegaPost is ideal for lane separation when managing heavy-loads and high-speed impacts. This product surpasses most industry posts due to its lightweight and high-speed impact tolerance.
The MP2 Post is ideal for lane separation and bike lane protection. This product is a flexible polyethylene delineator and channelization post, allowing it to stand alone with a base or pair with a Tuff Curb or Tuff Curb XLP.
The Tuff Post is a durable, flexible polypropylene delineator and channelization post. This product is intended to function as a lane divider and bike lane protector for use at lower speeds.
Remember to always take cyclists into consideration by driving with caution near bicycle lanes and making sure bike lanes are properly protected.
Bicycle deaths. Injury Facts. (2023, November 6). https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/home-and-community/safety-topics/bicycle-deaths/
In honor of National Supply Chain Day, Impact Recovery wanted to give a special shout out to Production and Purchasing Manager Barbara Cheatham. Barbara oversees everything from assembly to the shipping process out in the warehouse. With almost 20 years at Impact Recovery, we asked Barbara to share a few things for National Supply Chain Day.
The supply chain process has evolved immensely since Barbara first started working at Impact Recovery. According to Barbara, when she first started working at the company, they didn’t have an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software to organize the flow of operations in the warehouse. This system allows employees to easily organize reports, schedules, and orders. While the addition has also proven to be efficient for keeping track of inventory, Barbara finds it important to not completely rely on computers and verify with physical count.
Barbara implemented daily production meetings and reports from the ERP system which are used to cross-check against inventory. While working closely with the warehouse management team to ensure that all individuals are playing their part to allow the supply chain to run smoothly.
With the increase of delivery services such as Amazon Prime, it can be difficult for smaller companies to compete. However, Impact Recovery “strives very hard to get their customer everything they need on time.” Using daily schedules and strict timelines, Impact Recovery is dedicated to getting customers’ orders out on time. Cost is important as well, “always getting the cheap part is not the best route and we know that.” Impact Recovery is dedicated to delivering reliable products.
Impact Recovery just expanded its’ facility by building a third warehouse, so Barbara is excited about the future growth that will be bringing into the supply chain, “we’re striving to be bigger and broader.”
Impact Recovery wants to thank Barbara and her employees for all their hard work and for being part of Impact Recovery’s supply chain.
In honor of Work Zone Safety Week, we wanted to take a moment to highlight the importance of work zone safety products. Given the rise of construction projects around the nation, it’s important to install innovative products that are going to protect drivers, pedestrians, and construction workers on the road.
According to an annual report from the NSC, in 2021 there was a total of 954 fatal crashes in work zones on roadways all over the United States. A total of 42,151 people were injured in work zone incidents. With an increase of construction zones nationally, it is important to take precautionary measures to avoid these disastrous outcomes. Impact Recovery offers an array of work zone safety products to protect not only the drivers on the road but the construction workers on site as well.
Work zone vertical panels will help alert drivers to lane closures, channelized traffic, and opposing traffic lanes. These vertical panels are extremely durable and have the ability to remain upright when impacted.
In-street flagger warning signs signal to drivers that they should obey the flagger ahead and approach the work zone with caution, as there are workers on-site. These signs are vital for the protection of workers because they can increase the visibility of people in the road and decrease the chances of an accident.
Chevron panels provide high visibility and warn drivers of potential hazards ahead. They are commonly used to alert drivers around sharp changes in road alignment and warn them of slowing down.
Lastly, our work zone opposing traffic lane divider helps increase the safety of work zones where traffic flow changes may become confusing to motorists. They are highly visible when placed on the centerlines, informing motorists of lane division and two-way traffic operations to help avoid collisions.
Remember to always drive with caution through work zones, and mark hazards and work zone areas accordingly.
National & State Traffic Data. Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse. (2023, April 17). https://workzonesafety.org/work-zone-data/work-zone-fatal-crashes-and-fatalities/
We would like to give a shoutout to a few of our hard-working, long-term employees here at Impact RecoverySM who have recently celebrated important anniversaries with our company. We invite you to read more about these recognitions and what they enjoy most about working at Impact Recovery below.
Northeast Regional Sales Manager Tom Aber celebrated his ten-year anniversary with the company. President, Greg Hannah, congratulated Tom by presenting him with a ten-year plaque at our 2023 Annual Sales Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.
Tom shares that what he has enjoyed most about working at Impact Recovery is working with the amazing customers, “I’ve never dreaded getting up and going to work.” One of his favorite memories working at Impact Recovery was when we hosted the Inaugural Sporting Clays at ATSSA, “It has become a huge event since then.”
In addition, Director of Business Development Tim Lang recently celebrated his five-year anniversary. Tim also mentioned that he has enjoyed working with the team, “We have a great group of people who work hard to get the job done.” Tim’s favorite thing about being a part of the team is the ability to participate in different committees in the traffic industry, including ATSSA, ARTBA, National Committee, and NTPEP. He says, “Each of these committees plays an important role in our industry and I am honored to be able to participate on behalf of our company.”
We would also like to recognize Project Engineer, Patrick Boyle, and congratulate him on celebrating his five-year anniversary with the company. Patrick has enjoyed the “constant opportunity for learning and growing” that working at Impact Recovery has provided him these past five years. The most memorable part of working here for Patrick is, “Designing products and applications in the warehouse for the traffic safety world to meet specific criteria and high-performance requirements. “He also shares that he is appreciative of his coworkers saying, “They continue to inspire me to develop and improve my knowledge and skills.”
Congratulations on achieving these milestones and thank you sincerely for being a part of our team.
This Christmas Impact Recovery donated to six organizations. Making these donations on behalf of our valued customers gave us the opportunity to visit these worthy organizations in-person and learn more about what they do and why they’re vital to our community.
Our team members in Europe had the opportunity to support three different organizations. The first one was Stichting AAP in the Netherlands. They focus on rescuing and rehabilitating exotic animals to give them a second chance at life. The second one was SOS Children’s Village in Austria. They provide care, education, and healthcare to vulnerable children for a brighter future. The last organization was the European Anti-Poverty Network in Belgium. They fight against poverty and social exclusion in the EU, ensuring equal opportunities for all citizens.
Thank you to our customers for giving us the opportunity to be able to make these generous contributions to these amazing organizations, and we hope you had a wonderful holiday season.
We are excited to announce that Irina Nutten has joined Impact Recovery Systems, Inc.® as the European sales director. Irina is a motivated, accomplished business and management director with more than 20 years of experience in European industrial markets. She has worked with companies based in the EU and the UK, such as James Walker Townson Ltd and FAFNIR GmbH. Irina obtained her master’s degree in International Business and Management from ISCID in Dunkirk, France.
With a strong background in sales and business development, management, and strategic planning, Irina has successfully managed different teams by bringing forward fresh ideas that leverage new technologies and strategies. She has achieved remarkable business and area sales growth through her strategies. Irina is also skilled in multilingual communication, speaking English, French, Russian, and some Dutch and German.
Irina comments, “I’m excited to work for Impact Recovery Systems® for several reasons. I’m genuinely impressed by the company’s products, culture, and team members. The products are exceptional in terms of quality, and the company’s culture is a great fit with my ideal work environment.”
Irina’s expansive background and experience with be a great asset to Impact Recovery Systems® as we position ourselves to grow our European market.
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©2024 Impact Recovery Systems, Inc.® All rights reserved. Impact Recovery Systems, IRS, One Base, and Tuff Curb are registered trademarks of Impact Recovery Systems, Inc.® SlowStop® is a registered trademark of SlowStop Guarding Systems, LLC.®
The products illustrated or described on this website are covered by the following U.S. and International patent numbers: 7,195,422 | 7,621,691| D937,700 | D620,823 | D620,824 |D620,825
EP 2 267 225 | EP 2 888 412 | 9,938,677 | 11,136,735 | D932,875. Other U.S. and International patents pending.
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