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Kentucky Highway Worker Safety

June 8th, 2007 Posted by Amelia

In a recent speech, Jeffrey P. Koplan, M.D., M.P.H., said, “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. As we enter the busy spring construction season, NIOSH’s new document offers practical and comprehensive advice for reducing workers’ risk of injury.” Koplan is the Director of the Center for Disease Control.

Raising the public’s awareness of ways to increase Kentucky highway worker safety is a major goal of OSHA. Tragically, many highway workers are killed each year. In addition, while working on highway and street construction projects, 20,000 workers are injured. The need to get drivers to slow down and observe highway worker safety zones prompted OSHA to name the first week of April as National Work Zone Awareness Week. This year, a campaign has been launched entitled “Signs for Change,” which reminds drivers to take care.

A kickoff was held in Alexandria, Virginia, on April 3 appropriately enough at a construction site on Interstate 495. OSHA has joined forces with the Roadway Work Zone Safety and Health Partners Alliance to raise driver awareness of the safety zones for highway workers. These two organizations will bring focus on the health issues that highway workers face. A variety or resources are available through OSHA to help raise awareness of this problem.

Tragically, many highway workers are killed every year. In addition, approximately 20,000 are injured. Safety awareness on the part of drivers is vital. 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. 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.”