Help Protect Workers and Motorists During National Work Zone Awareness Week

National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) was established more than two decades ago to increase attention to the need for motorists to exercise caution when approaching and passing through roadway work zones.

This year’s National Work Zone Awareness Week is April 17-21 with the National Kickoff Event hosted by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) on April 18 at 10 a.m. CT (11 a.m. ET). The event will be held at the new Interstate 70 westbound bridge over the Missouri River near Rocheport. It will be livestreamed with a link and other details posted by MoDOT.

This year’s theme is: “You play a role in work zone safety. Work with us.”

Speakers expected at the National Kickoff Event include Federal Highway Administration Executive Director Gloria Shepherd and relatives of a worker who was killed in a Missouri work zone. Missouri Department of Transportation Director Patrick McKenna, a member of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission and a representative from the Missouri State Highway Patrol are also expected to speak.

Each day of National Work Zone Awareness Week has a distinct focus:

• April 17 – Work Zone Safety Training Day in which companies are encouraged to pause during the workday for safety demonstrations, discussions about safety policies and other prevention steps to protect people in work zones;
• April 18 – National Kickoff Event as described above. In addition, private companies and departments of transportation across the country organize events in their locations;
• April 19 – Go Orange Day when everyone is encouraged to wear orange to show support for work zone safety and the families of victims who have lost their lives in work zones;
• April 20 – Social media storm in which organizations, companies, agencies and individuals are encouraged to share messages and use hashtags #NWZAW and #WorkZoneSafety on social media posts between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. ET.; and
• April 21 – Moment of Silence during which everyone is encouraged to pause to remember the men, women and children who have lost their lives in work zone incidents.

For more information, visit https://www.nwzaw.org.