SAFETY: Officials set up training events to prevent injuries at Georgia road sites

The Federal Highway Administration, the state of Georgia, local government organizations and employers are partnering with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to sponsor one-hour events to train road workers on the dangers of distracted drivers, flying debris and other objects during National Highway Work-Zone Awareness Week, April 3-7.

The Safety Stand-Down events encourage employers to voluntarily stop work for one hour at Georgia construction sites on a designated day to review best safety practices and discuss the hazards of objects and vehicles striking workers, the leading cause of roadside-related construction deaths.

“Our alliance partners have come together to honor the working mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, daughters and sons who died because a driver risked a text message, a phone call or other distraction,” said Kurt Petermeyer, OSHA’s regional administrator for the Southeast, in a release. “The Safety Stand-Down events allow employers to identify hazards and how employees can avoid them. It also reminds the construction industry and the public at-large of the importance of safety in these work zones.”