Simón B. Maestra Navarro 

Southern Zone Delegate, Sacyr Conservación

Marco A. García Fraga 
HSE Business Partner, Sacyr Conservación

At Sacyr, accident prevention is not a separate business function, but an integral element considered in all tasks that may involve risk. Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is integrated into technical and operational processes, planning, and working conditions from the start.

Sacyr Conservación guarantees a comprehensive service, adhering to the strictest Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) standards, including Road Safety and Quality, to which Sacyr Maintenance has dedicated significant resources in recent years.

While lane closures may not cause the most incidents, they are among the riskiest road maintenance operations. This is due to both the need for vehicles to stop on the shoulder and the exposure of operators crossing the road to place signage and beacons. 

Sacyr Conservación anticipated the guidelines of Service Note 02/2021, "Recommendations for Improving Safety in Maintenance and Other Work Affecting State Roads and Highways." We pioneered aspects outlined in the note, such as in-person road safety training, the acquisition of double-gate vans, and innovative training proposals like "Lane Closures: An Immersive View."

There is no doubt that the advancement in the use of light signaling in maintenance vehicles has greatly improved the protection of equipment, maximizing visibility and minimizing risks. The goal is to visualize the behavior of road maintenance personnel during lane closure setup and takedown and to understand how they are affected by traffic. The goal is not strictly limited to improving the material signalling equipment and compliance with the elements set out in current regulations.

This focuses on visualizing the actions of road maintenance personnel during lane closure setup and takedown and how these actions are impacted by the traffic conditions of the worksite.

New Technologies in Road Management

In an increasingly demanding, digital, and complex environment, where specialization and technology are key factors for the large-scale transformation of service standards, Sacyr Maintenance is committed to innovation, developing a large number of certified projects and lines of research.

The use of drone and 360° camera recording significantly improves the training of our technicians and operators during lane closure setup and takedown on highways. The "immersive vision" approach facilitates interactive training, enabling personnel to minimize on-road risks.

First and foremost, safety

The "Lane Closures: An Immersive View" project involves recording various lane closure setup and takedown operations on highways using drones and 360° cameras in real-world conditions. The aim is to analyze the execution process from an aerial perspective.

The purpose is to analyze the movements of our operators and user reactions to establish procedural guidelines that minimize risks for both workers and road users.

Using these audiovisual media, it is intended to:

1. Identify the critical points of the process in which maintenance teams and road users interact.
2. Reduce risks and improve road safety for both operators and users.
3. Achieve a new approach to improving road safety through the use of new audiovisual technologies.
4. Improve procedures and establish instructions for assembling and disassembling lane closures to reduce risk.
5. Design training actions based on specific actions for the type of risk to which workers are exposed. Analyze the operation with the workers, from a drone view, to define situations of greater risk.
6. Improve the preventive culture in the field of Occupational Road Safety.
7. Complement Sacyr Conservación's Road Safety Management System.
8. Seek new methodologies to improve the influence on user behavior, as well as to raise awareness, through possible media campaigns, of the need for their collaboration to reduce risks on the road.

In short, the drone's perspective during lane closure setup and takedown allows for an in-depth analysis of the associated risks. Interactive sessions with technicians and operators have identified the safest procedures for moving around the work zone with the necessary vehicles, signage, and beacons.

Analyzing the time taken also allows us to assess the available equipment (types of signals, transport supports, etc.), identifying opportunities for improvement and optimization. The aerial perspective also helps us assess the characteristics of the road and identify infrastructure improvements (specific problem areas, narrow shoulders, etc.).

Encarna Mateos

Quality, Environment and Energy Director

The construction and infrastructure development sector plays a crucial role in transitioning to a more circular economic model, given its significant impact on resource consumption and waste generation. However, considerable challenges persist: construction and demolition waste (CDW) accounts for a third of the total waste produced in the European Union, and circularity rates in countries such as Spain lag behind other European nations.

In light of this, the circular economy offers a transformative strategy for redesigning processes, minimizing environmental impacts, and boosting efficiency. Achieving this requires coordinated action from all stakeholders across the value chain, integrating circular principles from the initial design phase through to operation. In my view, the following ten areas are key to advancing towards a circular model:

1.    Changing the mindset

Moving away from the traditional linear model (design-build-use-demolish) and embracing a circular approach (design-reuse-use-recycle-maintain-regenerate). This involves integrating circularity criteria right from the design stage and fostering collaboration among all participants throughout the infrastructure lifecycle.

2.    Boosting the Market for Secondary Raw Materials

Implementing regulatory and economic measures to stimulate demand for recycled and reused materials. This includes establishing quality certifications, technical standards, and traceability mechanisms that build confidence in the market.

3.    Supporting innovation 

Maintaining funding programs, such as those within the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RTRP) and the Strategic Projects for Economic Recovery and Transformation (PERTE), that support projects promoting circular solutions in construction, waste management, and digitalization. Simplifying access to these grants is essential.

4.    Digitization and data management 

Promoting the use of tools like Building Information Modeling (BIM), digital twins, and collaborative platforms to manage information related to materials, maintenance, and reuse.

5.    Harmonized regulatory framework 

Establishing consistent and stable regulations at the European, national, and regional levels to facilitate the application of circular criteria, the approval of recycled materials, and investment in sustainable solutions.

6.    Green public procurement 

Incorporating environmental criteria into public procurement specifications, favoring proposals that integrate circular economy principles, and establishing monitoring mechanisms to ensure compliance.

7.    Public-private partnerships 

Encouraging collaboration between government bodies, businesses, technology centers, and universities to develop standards, methodologies, and pilot projects that advance circularity in the sector.

8.    Transparency in the supply chain

Establish traceability systems that allow information to be shared on the origin, composition and destination of materials, facilitating their reuse and recycling.

9.    Training and sector awareness

Promoting education and training for all actors in the value chain – architects, engineers, companies, manufacturers, and clients – on the principles, tools, and benefits of the circular economy.

10.    Repurposing Waste as a Resource

Encouraging the acceptance of recycled materials as a viable alternative, promoting their use in new construction processes, and reducing reliance on virgin raw materials.

Several years ago, Sacyr made a decisive move towards circular transformation, moving beyond the traditional linear model and embracing a regenerative approach in all our projects. Our Zero Waste Plan has become the cornerstone of our efforts to achieve our circular economy goals, implementing specific actions across all areas of the company.

This plan has three key objectives: to reuse, recycle, or recover 80% of our waste each year; to progressively reduce hazardous waste by 1% annually; and to ensure that 80% of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste is also recovered.

The results are already evident in our projects: over 93% of construction and demolition waste has been recovered, more than 92% of total waste has been recycled or reused, and over 20% of the materials we use now come from sustainable sources. The Zero Waste Plan allows us to embed a circular model throughout the organization, aligning our efforts, creating synergies, and strengthening our commitment to a more responsible future.

On November 10, Sacyr will celebrate its 40th anniversary. Over the next few months we will be celebrating the road travelled by this business and professional adventure, which began in 1986 as Sociedad Anónima de Caminos y Regadíos and is now one of the largest infrastructure developers in the world.

We have selected 12 emblematic projects from our history, which allow us to understand the corporate culture that has enabled us to overcome our challenges, even in the most complicated times and circumstances.

Month by month, the protagonists of these projects around the world will tell us how we have fulfilled our commitment to society to generate positive social, economic and environmental impact. As our purpose explains, "we turn every challenge into an achievement that builds the future, that improves people's lives.