Work Zone Awareness Week Gets OSHA's Aid
Awareness Week 2007, which of course is focused on the
safety of workers in highway work zones. This year's theme is "Signs for
Change," meant to remind drivers to be aware of work zones and obey
signs.
"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," said OSHA chief Edwin G. Foulke Jr. "There
were nearly 1,100 work zone fatalities in 2005 -- that is a tragedy. I am
hopeful that campaigns like this will help reduce those numbers."
OSHA offers various resources, including a site dedicated
to highway work zones, signs, signals, and barricades from the Directorate of
Construction. The "Motor Vehicle Safety" topics page addresses
overall safety on the highways. The week's kickoff event on April 3 will take
place at the Route 1 interchange on Interstate 495 just outside Washington, D.C., where
it approaches the western side of the Woodrow
Wilson Bridge
in Alexandria, Va.