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Arkansas Highway Worker Safety

June 8th, 2007 Posted by Amelia

According to Edwin G. Foulke Jr., Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, “Employees who work in highway zones have one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States and these employees need not only OSHA’s support, but the support of everyone who gets behind the wheel on a daily basis.” He added, “There were nearly 1,100 work zone fatalities last year — that is a tragedy. I am hopeful that campaigns like this will help reduce those numbers.”

In an effort to enhance Arkansas highway worker safety, OSHA is joining forces with the Roadway Work Zone Safety and Health Partners Alliance. The two organizations will work to increase the public’s awareness of the need to exercise caution near highway worker safety zones.

OSHA has designated the first week of April each year as National Work Zone Awareness Week. The campaign this year is entitled “Signs for Change.” This campaign will work to raise driver awareness of the need to be cautious and slow down around highway worker safety areas.

The number of injured highway construction workers each year totals 20,000. Of those, many die. The campaign hopes to prevent these terrible accidents.

As Jeffrey P. Koplan, M.D., M.P.H., Director of the Center for Disease Control, explains, “Every day, when orange traffic cones prompt us to slow down and drive carefully near work zones, we are reminded that highway and street construction is hard and potentially hazardous work.” He added, “As we enter the busy spring construction season, NIOSH’s new document offers practical and comprehensive advice for reducing workers’ risk of injury.”

This year’s national campaign kickoff was on April 3, at a highway construction site, the kickoff took place in Alexandria, Virginia on Interstate 495.

Highway workers face the very real danger of being struck by a car, truck, or piece of construction equipment. To increase driver awareness of highway construction workers, OSHA recommends that all highway workers wear vests that are highly visible and reflective. Since the main cause of death to highway workers in the US is acute trauma that happens at work, getting drivers to slow down and pay attention to warning signs in work areas is vital.