Photo: Missouri Department of Transportation/Flickr
Washington — Sens. Dave McCormick (R-PA) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) recently introduced legislation aimed at strengthening protections for roadside workers and first responders.
The Safer Roads for Those Who Serve Act (S. 4245) would require states to “improve the collection of data on roadside worker crashes and to differentiate the safety data for highway workers from other road users.” Further, it would mandate that states establish a highway worker safety plan if injury and fatality totals rise over a two-year period.
Other provisions of the bipartisan bill:
- Call on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to create a public service announcement covering “ways to protect roadside workers, including law enforcement; emergency responder services; fire and rescue services; construction workers; drivers of utility, waste and recycling collection vehicles; tow truck operators; and drivers of disabled vehicles, at incidents along roadways.”
- Continue research and outreach efforts to increase highway worker safety.
- Require applicants of major infrastructure grants to include expected protections for roadside workers and drivers.
In a recent data analysis, CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training found that 568 people died in a total of 514 fatal crashes in construction work zones in 2023. The totals represent respective increases of 29.4% and 31.1% from 2012.
“First responders and roadside workers risk death or injury every single day while responding to an emergency or maintaining our roads,” Cortez Masto said in a press release. “I’m proud to lead this bipartisan effort to help keep them safe.”
The National Safety Council and multiple worker groups support the bill, which has been referred to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.
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Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication