Work zones are temporary. But our actions inside work zones can last forever.
That’s the message our industry will share with this year’s National Work Zone Awareness Week April 15-19. This message reminds drivers their actions — such as speeding or driving while distracted — in work zones can cause life-changing injuries or even fatalities.
How can we, as the InfraStripe family of companies, share this message with as many drivers as possible? By participating in Work Zone Awareness Week, and by remembering that awareness campaigns work best when we embrace them fully.
In that sense, our actions during Work Zone Awareness Week could last forever. We never know who might hear our messages about safety and how those messages might spread.
For example, the orange clothes we wear on GoOrange Day (Wednesday, April 17) could spark a conversation with someone in the line for coffee, creating a chance to share our message. The people we’re talking to might remember the conversation next time they approach a work zone.
Or, the social media posts we create for Work Zone Awareness Week’s Social Media Storm (Thursday, April 18) may resonate with someone who shares the message on his or her feed. A single post could reach thousands of people with our message about work zone safety.
Even our Moment of Silence (Friday, April 19) for crew members who have died in work zone collisions can help remind everyone why Work Zone Awareness Week is so important, especially when we publicize our moments of silence online.
That’s why we hold National Work Zone Awareness Week each year: To start conversations that remind everyday drivers that their everyday actions within work zones matter.
This year the Maryland Department of Transportation hosts the National Kick-off Event on Tuesday, April 16, but the week starts a day earlier, on Monday, April 15, with Work Zone Safety Training Day. On training day let’s all make time to remind crew members to do their part to ensure work zone safety this road building season.
So let’s recap National Work Zone Awareness Week activities:
- Monday, April 15: Work Zone Safety Training Day — a day to remind our staff members that we have an important role in work zone safety.
- Tuesday, April 16: National event kick-off hosted by the Maryland Department of Transportation.
- Wednesday, April 17: GoOrange Day — wear orange clothes; post pictures of orange-clad staff members on social media with the hashtags #NWZAW and #GoOrange.
- Thursday, April 18: Social Media Storm — post safety messages on all social media channels and share other companies’ messages. Use the hashtag #NWZAW.
- Friday, April 19: Moment of silence for crew members who have died because of collisions in work zones.
That’s the official schedule, but it’s OK to post messages on social media throughout the week about work zone safety. Every message we share can help build a stronger safety culture — a culture in which every driver thinks about safety every time they enter a work zone.