National Work Zone Awareness Week Takes Place April 17-21, 2023
The National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) will take place April 17-21, 2023, in conjunction with National Occupational Research Agenda’s (NORA) Construction Stand-down to Prevent Struck-by Incidents event. In 2020, the year with the most recent available data, 774 fatal work zone crashes occurred, killing a staggering 857 people. While most of those killed were motorists and their passengers, 117 workers died in work zone crashes as well.
NWZAW is held to remind drivers to drive safely through highway work zones to protect themselves and the workers. This annual event increases driver awareness around work zone safety and reiterates the importance of paying attention and slowing down while driving through construction zones.
Who Can Participate?
Everyone plays a role in highway safety. To get involved, participate in the daily NWZAW events:
Monday, April 17–Work Zone Safety Training Day is used to train employees on potential struck-by risks on the job and educate them on how to prevent struck-by incidents from being the leading cause of death among construction workers.
Tuesday, April 18–The National Kickoff Event will provide education on the importance of work zone safety.
Wednesday, April 19–Go Orange Day is when all road workers are encouraged to wear orange to show their support of work zone safety.
Thursday, April 20–Social Media Storm is when the NWZAW team encourages posting on social media channels about the importance of work zone safety and tagging them with #NWZAW and #WorkZoneSafety.
Friday, April 21–Moment of Silence is meant to remember all workers, motorists and passengers that lost their lives in work zone-related incidents
After the Event
Even after NWZAW concludes, employers should keep open communication with their employees concerning struck-by accidents and safe driving practices and also implement safety measures in work zones to prevent an incident from occurring.
This article is intended for informational purposes only. © 2023 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved.