AGC Leads the Charge for Work Zone Safety

AGC will be working with an eye toward the need to improve laws and regulations governing work zone safety at the legislature this year. A recent annual nationwide survey of highway construction firms conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America shows that 45 percent of Minnesota construction companies experienced a work-zone crash in 2017. Nationally, 25 percent of work-zone crashes injure construction workers and 11 percent of those crashes kill them. One significant and increasingly common contributor to work zone accidents is distracted driving. AGC will continue to advocate to ban cell phone use in work zones as well as look at other safety provisions to mitigate construction worker hazards. The Minnesota State Legislature convenes on January 8th, 2019, and AGC members have high hopes for a comprehensive bill that will provide necessary protections for highway workers and the traveling public.