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National Work Zone Awareness Week begins April 15 with kick-off event in Midland

MIDLAND, Mich. - With our mild winter, orange cones and work zones have been in place all season. Now with spring in the air, road work will ramp up and more crews will mobilize to fix our roads and bridges. National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) starts this Monday with the message for every motorist, “Work zones are temporary. Actions behind the wheel can last forever.” An event this coming Monday will honor the workers, motorists, and families of those killed in work zones this past year and will feature speakers from public agencies and transportation organizations.

In Michigan in 2023, preliminary work zone crash statistics show there were:

  • 7,237 work zone crashes
  • 17 fatal work zone crashes
  • 20 work zone fatalities
    • Two were road workers
  • 1,896 work zone injuries
    • 108 involved serious injuries

    Safety experts throughout Michigan are coming to Dow Diamond in Midland, home of the Great Lakes Loons, to discuss challenges, best practices, and solutions for work zone safety. 

    Officials from the Michigan State Police (MSP), the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA), the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), the Dow Chemical Co., the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO), and the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association (MITA) will speak about worker and motorist safety, and the issues we all encounter in work zones.

    Speakers:

    • MDOT Director Brad Wieferich
    • MSP Col. James F. Grady II 
    • MIOSHA Division Director of Construction Safety and Health Lawrence Hidalgo, Jr.
    • ATSSA Michigan Chapter President Brian Sarkella
    • MITA Executive Vice President Rob Coppersmith
    • Dow Chemical Global Segment Leader of Pavement Markings Carly Haller
    • LEO Deputy Director Sean Egan

    When:
    Monday, April 15, 2024
    11 a.m.

    Where:
    Dow Diamond
    825 E Main St.
    Midland, MI 48640

    Background:
    As part of the nationwide Toward Zero Deaths safety campaign, a vision of eliminating fatalities on our nation's roads, NWZAW became a national event in 2000 and awareness has grown ever since. MDOT, along with numerous traffic safety partners across the country, supports NWZAW to raise awareness and further improve road safety for all workers, drivers and passengers.

    This year's NWZAW national campaign theme is: "Work zones are temporary. Actions behind the wheel can last forever." Go orange on Wednesday, April 17! To create awareness and show your support for each work zone crew, wear orange that day. We can all make it home safely if we play our part and work together, so "Go Orange" at home or in the field and share a photo on social media of you or your team wearing orange using hashtags #Orange4Safety, #GoOrangeDay and #NWZAW.

    For more facts, stats and information about Michigan work zone safety, visit www.Michigan.gov/WorkZoneSafety.

     

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