Caltrans Calls for Safety Review After Three Contractor Workers Die in One Work Zone Incident -- Occupational Health & Safety

An orange road construction sign displaying a worker figure along a roadside lined with traffic cones and a construction truck with illuminated flashing arrows.

Caltrans Calls for Safety Review After Three Contractor Workers Die in One Work Zone Incident

Six contractor employees have been struck and killed on Caltrans highway projects since Aug. 10.

By Danielle Naidu
Oct 12, 2026

Three contractor employees were killed Sept. 25 in a single incident in a Riverside County highway work zone. The deaths prompted the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to call a safety stand-down and direct construction teams and contractors to review roadside safety protocols.

Caltrans is also establishing an executive-level safety committee with industry partners. It will examine work zone technology and safety devices and consider whether contracts could require additional safety measures.

The department described the measures in an Oct. 8 release accompanying a Sacramento press conference. It urged motorists to slow down, avoid distractions and impaired driving, and give crews space.

More information is available on Caltrans' Be Work Zone Alert site.

About the Author

Danielle Naidu is assistant editor for Security Today, Campus Security Today, Occupational Health & Safety and Environmental Protection Online.

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