labor lawAdivision of labor law center

Very often, when we’re driving on an interstate or another highway and we see the “construction zone” signs or the orange caution cones, we’re annoyed. We expect delays. Some drivers speed right through the construction zones at the usual highway speed limits, or faster.

But the signs, cones and slowdowns are there for a reason. Highway construction work can be deadly.

Florida highway worker safety numbers tell the story. More than 100 highway crew members yearly are killed on work sites. Another 20,000 suffer injuries. Highway construction work is called “one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States,” by OSHA’s Assistant Secretary of Labor Edwin G. Foulke Jr.

To combat the hazards, OSHA – the Occupational Safety and Health Administration – and the Roadway Work Zone Safety and Health Partners Alliance – are promoting awareness of the highway work zones. They’re urging drivers to be alert to roadside warnings, to slow down, and to watch for highway workers.

Every year, OSHA marks National Work Zone Awareness Week in the first week of April. This year, the emphasis is on safety for highway work zone employees. OSHA kicked off the campaign, “Signs for Change,” at a construction zone on Interstate 495 in Alexandria, Virginia, on April 3.

“Employees who work in highway zones have one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States,” said Assistant Secretary Foulke, “and these employees need not only OSHA’s support, but the support of everyone who gets behind the wheel on a daily basis.”

He said there were almost 1,100 deaths in work zones last year, “a tragedy. I am hopeful that campaigns like this will help reduce those numbers.”

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is joining the effort. NIOSH (the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) has prepared a report urging that drivers watch for the warning signs and slow down.

“Every day, when orange traffic cones prompt us to slow down and drive carefully near work zones,” said CDC Director Jeffrey P. Koplan, M.D., M.P.H., “we are reminded that highway and street construction is hard and potentially hazardous work.”

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