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Home » Consumer Information » Occupational Safety » Highways

Work Zones

The majority of highway worker fatalities occur in work zones, and over the last five years, the number of people killed in motor vehicle crashes in work zones has risen from 989 in 2001 to 1,074 in 2005. In addition, More than 40,000 people are injured each year as a result of motor vehicle crashes in work zones.

Among the 492 work zone fatalities, the most common sources of injury were trucks (45%), road grading and surfacing machinery (15%), and cars (15%). It should come as no surprise that one of the biggest hazards to highway workers are motorists who do not exercise caution while driving. In 318 of the 465 vehicle and equipment-related fatalities within work zones, a worker on foot was struck by a vehicle. Victims of these events were as likely to be struck by a construction vehicle (154 fatalities) as by a passing traffic vehicle (152 fatalities).

It is also interesting to note that the great majority of work zone fatality victims, 74%, were employed privately, the remainder by state or local governments (13% each). Plus, summer and fall are the seasons that see the most work zone crashes, with more than two times as many fatal work zone crashes occurring on weekdays as on weekends.

In 110 work zone fatalities, the victim was operating a vehicle or mobile construction equipment, and of these workers 38 were not classified in equipment operating professions.

Work zone safety efforts must address eliminating vehicle crashes and ensuring the safety of workers who work adjacent to traffic and on foot around moving vehicles and equipment, as well as those who are operating dump trucks, rollers, pavers, and other pieces of construction equipment.

Work zone safety precautions include:

  • Monitoring noise levels at all times to prevent hearing loss.
  • Use of earmuffs or earplugs.
  • Training on how to set up a safe work zone.
  • Use of equipment appropriate to the road's lane width, traffic speed, and other factors.
  • Wear sunscreen, a hat, and long-sleeved shirts, as protection against the sun.
  • Drink a cup of water every 20 minutes to prevent dehydration.
  • Supervisors should prepare new employees for work in all types of traffic, ensuring that they feel comfortable using flagmen and know never to turn their backs to oncoming traffic.
  • Workers should know how to maneuver around massive pieces of equipment and safeguard a site for optimal security.
  • Ground workers should never to stand in front or back of an operating vehicle.
  • Use protective equipment and gear, such as hard hats, steel-toed shoes and reflective clothing.
  • Use masks to prevent overexposure to silica.