National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) 2024

Get Your Team in the Zone

Table of Contents

“Work Zones are temporary. Actions behind the wheel can last forever.”

Every year, hundreds of workers and drivers are killed in work zone accidents across America. The Maryland Department of Transportation and American Traffic Safety Services Association are looking to change that.

How It Started

NWZAW began as a concept in 1997 with the Virginia DOT, who wanted to start a campaign to draw attention to work zone safety. According to NWZAW, their goals were to raise awareness of the need for caution when driving through work zones, establish uniform set safety guidelines, promoting training and best practices for work zone safety, reducing negative behavior from drivers during delays, and reaching out to other entities involved with work zone safety. They held their first event in 2000 in Springfield, Va.

How It’s Going

NWZAW has been held in the early Spring every year since, just before construction ramps up during the warmer months. This year, NWZA will be held April 15-19. Each day is dedicated to a separate event:

April 15 – Work Zone Safety Training Day: Focuses on training workers and drivers to use the best safety practices in work zones.
April 16 – National Kickoff Event: This year, the event will be hosted by the Missouri Department of Transportation.
April 17 – Go Orange Day: Encourages people all over America to wear orange to bring awareness to worker safety.
April 18 – Social Media Storm: Safety departments, citizens, and drivers are encouraged to fill social media with posts raising awareness. Use hashtags #NWZAW and #WorkZoneSafety throughout social media between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
April 19 – Moment of Silence: The ATSSA commemorates those lost to work-zone-related accidents.

Shared Goals

Infinit-I began with a similar goal back in the early 2000s, focusing on trucking safety. Since then, we have expanded our industry-leading library of safety videos to include not only trucking but school buses, OSHA training, Human Resources training, and more. We are growing our catalog every month, making sure our content meets federal, state, and industry standards to make sure more workers go home safely.

Get Your Team in the Zone

Visit nwzaw.org to find more information and see how you can connect with the ATSSA to show support for work zone safety. Get your fleet ready for NWZAW with Infinit-I’s “Driving Through Work Zones,” “Lane Restrictions,” and “Speed and Space Management” training. Not a client? Sign up for a demo here. And remember, “Work zones are temporary. Actions behind the wheel can last forever.”