Safety: National Work Zone Awareness Week is This Week, April 20-24

Each year in the spring, National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) is held to bring national attention to motorist and worker safety and mobility issues in work zones. Since 1999, FHWA has worked with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) to coordinate and sponsor the event. The first national event was held at a work zone in Springfield, VA in April 2000. Over the years, other transportation partners have joined the effort to support NWZAW. In addition to a national event conducted each year, many States host their own NWZAW events.

2020 National Work Zone Awareness Week, April 20-24 – “Safe Work Zones for All: Protect workers. Protect road users.”

National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) runs April 20-24 and will continue as scheduled. However, Michigan officials have canceled the April 21 kickoff event.

This year’s theme is “Safe Work Zones for All: Protect workers. Protect road users.” It features a poster reminiscent of the World War II poster with Rosie the Riveter. In her place are a male and female roadway worker proclaiming, “We Can Do It!”, which is the original language used in the WWII poster. Michigan chose that image as a reflection of its industrial heritage. Original “Rosies” worked as riveters in an aircraft factory in Ypsilanti, Michigan that built B24 bombers, which is now the site of the American Center for Mobility.

Here are some resources for you from the United States Department of Transportaton Federal Highway Administration:

• 2020 NWZAW Poster (PDF 52.1MB)
• FHWA Factsheet (PDF 752KB)
• ATSSA NWZAW Web Site
• National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse
• Webinar on Preventing Struck-by Incidents
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration
• FMCSA’s Our Roads, Our Safety (Work zone shareable campaign materials, downloadable graphics and social media content)
• FMCSA’s Work Zone Safety Tips