Written by: Teddy Obrecht
This year marks the 23rd anniversary of National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) which runs from April 17th – April 21st this year. This annual spring campaign is held at the start of each construction season and encourages safe driving through highway work zones.
NWZAW takes place across the United States, with partnerships between state departments of transportation (DOT), national road safety organizations, government agencies, private companies, and individuals. National Work Zone Awareness Week highlights the deadly dangers of inattention at highway work areas and stresses the importance for drivers to use extra caution while in work zones.
Just recently, less than 1 month before NWZAW, the Maryland I-695 crash that killed six workers was determined to be among one of the deadliest road construction accidents since 1980. This just further justifies the need to spread awareness and observance of work zone safety. To participate, below is the schedule of events for the week.
2023 NWZAW Schedule of Events:
- Work Zone Safety Training Day – April 17 (Emphasizes the importance of laying the groundwork for safety through training of personnel)
- National kickoff event – April 18 (The NWZAW 2023 kickoff event will be hosted by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) at the new I-70 westbound bridge over the Missouri River.)
- Go Orange Day – April 19 (All roadway safety professionals across the country are encouraged to wear orange to proudly show their support of work zone safety.)
- Social media storm – April 20 (Organizations, companies, institutions, and individuals are asked to share messages and use hashtags #NWZAW and #WorkZoneSafety throughout social media.)
- Moment of Silence – April 21 (The Moment of Silence remembers the people who lost their lives in a work zone incident.)
David A Bramble, Inc. encourages all of its employees to participate in NWZAW. Simply by
wearing safety yellow and orange on Wednesday, April 19th, you can be a visible reminder and show your support for NWZAW and the families who have lost loved ones in a work zone. Not only do we encourage you to do this, we challenge you to do this!
This year, David A Bramble, Inc. will be holding a contest for the best NWZAW / Go Orange Day crew photo! We want to see what clever, vibrant, and influential display your crew can put together to promote this great cause! All participant photos will be judged by Danny, Paul, and Megan, with the winning crew receiving a free lunch delivered on-site to their job, as well as having their winning photo displayed in April of next year’s Company Calendar!
UPDATE:
As of June 2023
As mentioned above, this year we held an employee contest for the best NWZAW / Go Orange Day crew photo! The winning photo was submitted by Larry Cowger and featured 2 out of the 3 man crew who were working on the Harmon Field pickleball courts at the time. Those pictured are operator Robert Holland and laborer Greg Deale. Since they had a new dozer on-site it seemed appropriate that the picture was titled: “Pushing for Safety.” The winning crew received a free lunch delivered on-site to their job, as well as having their winning photo displayed in April of next year’s Company Calendar!
