Welcome to National Work Zone Awareness Week, which takes place from April 21-25, 2025, with partnerships between state departments of transportation, national road safety organizations, government agencies, private companies, and individuals. The objective is to encourage drivers to use extra caution in work zones, but it is also an opportunity for construction professionals to identify risks and come up with safety strategies. Let’s spend some time looking at the real risks in today’s work zones, and how to mitigate them.
The Dangers on the Road
According to the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse, a project of the American Road and Transportation Builders Assn., there were 821 total fatal crashes in 2022, which is the most recent year data was collected. That is far too many lives.
Part of the challenge here is drivers on the road are often distracted—something we have been talking about here on the blog and on the podcast The Peggy Smedley Show. We need to take steps to reduce distracted driving in general. NAHB (National Assn. of Home Builders) recognizes the challenges of distracted driving and has created resources and guidelines for its members to help encourage safe driving practices to, from, and around the jobsite. There is much work to be done in this area, but for today’s blog let’s turn our attention to safety strategies for workers in work zones.
Strategies for Safety
Builders and contractors are taking steps to ensure greater safety in work zones. Let’s consider the example of Skanska. The project development and construction company has taken several steps to improve safety in work zones.
For example, on the State Route 57/60 interchange improvement, the team conducted daily safety meetings, continuous SMS training for environmental health and safety teams, and specialized gas tester training. Enhanced lighting, clear signage, and proactive roadway maintenance further ensure protection for crews and commuters. The result was an impressive 135,467 work hours with zero lost-time accidents and zero OSHA violations as of July 2024.
As another case, the State Route 71/91 interchange reconstruction is designed to ease congestion and improve safety across Riverside, Orange, and San Bernardino Counties, and presented complex engineering challenges such as installing large piles and operating heavy machinery in varying conditions. To manage these risks, Skanska implemented site-specific safety measures, including specially engineered bridge designs and adjustable barriers to maintain safe traffic flow.
Of course, these are just a few examples. While there are certainly steps construction companies can take to improve safety on the jobsite, it is the responsibility of the driver to slow down, pay attention, and make work zones a safer place for everyone. Are you doing anything for National Work Zone Awareness Week? What ideas do you have to make our work zones a little bit safer?
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