Our highway infrastructure is aging, and that means rebuilding and improving existing roadways. In many areas around the United States, we are seeing the orange cones pop up on the side of the highway, along with reduced speed zones and yellow tape. For drivers, that means lane closures, delayed travel time, and detours. But for the workers out there on and along the road, construction season means increased safety measures.
Highway infrastructure workers, which include road, street, bridge, tunnel, and utility workers, are exposed to multiple hazards from outside and inside the work area. Add passing motorists, construction vehicles, and equipment to the mix and risk significantly increases for fatal and serious nonfatal injury. The common hazards found in this type of work include falls, electrical, struck-by, and caught between. According to NIOSH, more than 100 workers are killed and more than 20,000 are injured each year in the highway and street construction industry. Vehicles and equipment operating in and around the work zone are involved in more than half of the worker fatalities in this industry.