Work Zone Awareness Week 2026: What Contractors Need to Do Right Now

National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) 2026 runs April 20–24. This year's theme — "Safe Actions, Save Lives" — is directed at drivers, but the compliance obligations it spotlights fall squarely on contractors: earthwork, utility, highway, and anyone whose crew works alongside moving traffic.

If your crew works in or near a roadway and you don't have a written work zone safety program, this week is a direct signal that your exposure is real. Here's what the numbers say, what OSHA requires, and what you need in place before the construction season fully opens.

What NWZAW 2026 Actually Is

NWZAW is a federally coordinated awareness campaign run by the FHWA, ATSSA, and ARTBA, hosted each year by a state DOT. In 2026, Connecticut DOT (CTDOT) is the national host, with the kickoff event in Farmington, CT on Tuesday, April 21.

The campaign is primarily a public awareness push aimed at motorists. But it also draws heightened attention from state DOTs, OSHA field offices, and general contractors — which means your work zone safety documentation is more likely to be scrutinized this month than most others.

The Numbers Behind the Campaign

NWZAW exists because work zone crashes keep killing people at a rising rate. According to FHWA data:

• 898 people were killed in work zone crashes in 2023
• 40,170 people were injured in work zone crashes in 2023
• Work zone fatalities increased 50% between 2013 and 2023
• Struck-by vehicles is the leading cause of highway construction worker fatalities

Those 898 fatalities include both motorists and workers. The worker share is significant: struck-by incidents — vehicles intruding into the work zone and hitting workers on foot — account for the largest single category of highway construction fatalities.

What OSHA Requires for Work Zone Safety

OSHA's work zone requirements for construction fall under 29 CFR 1926 Subpart G (Signs, Signals and Barricades) and the General Duty Clause. Key requirements:

• Barricades, cones, and warning signs must be used to protect workers from traffic — and placement must follow the applicable traffic control plan (MUTCD-based)
• Flagging operations require specific training; flaggers must know hand signals, use paddles (not flags alone), and wear Class 2 or 3 ANSI/ISEA 107 high-visibility apparel
• High-visibility vests (Class 2 minimum, Class 3 required near high-speed or nighttime work) are required for all workers in the right-of-way
• Spotters and exclusion zones are required where mobile equipment operates near workers on foot
• Traffic control plans are required for any work on or adjacent to a public roadway — and must be in writing

OSHA does not have a separate "work zone" standard the way FHWA does for highway design. What it has is the General Duty Clause and Subpart G — plus a consistent enforcement history of citing contractors for struck-by violations when workers are hit by vehicles in inadequately controlled work zones.

The Struck-By Problem in Work Zones

Struck-by is one of OSHA's "Fatal Four" in construction — and in work zones, it takes two distinct forms that require different controls.

Form 1: Motorist intrusion. A vehicle leaves the travel lane and enters the work zone. This is primarily controlled through traffic control plans, positive protection (concrete barrier, jersey barrier, truck-mounted attenuators), and flagging. Small subcontractors rarely control this directly — but they do control whether their crew is positioned where they'll survive it.

Form 2: Construction equipment striking workers. Dump trucks backing up. Excavators swinging. Compactors moving in reverse. This is directly within your control and is the area where small contractors get cited most often. OSHA's Subpart O (Motor Vehicles, Mechanized Equipment) and Subpart G both apply.

If a worker is hit by a vehicle in your work zone, OSHA will inspect. The question is whether your documentation demonstrates a good-faith program or whether you're starting from zero when the inspector arrives.

What a Written Work Zone Safety Program Must Cover

If you work in a highway, utility, or earthwork environment, a generic safety manual is not enough. Your written program needs to address work zone operations specifically. At minimum, it needs to cover:

Traffic control plan requirements. Who is responsible for developing the TCP, what standard it follows (MUTCD in most states), and how it's communicated to the crew before work begins each day.

Flagger training and qualifications. Who can flag, what training they've completed, and how you document it. In many states, flagger certification is required. OSHA requires that flaggers be trained — and that training be documented.

High-visibility apparel requirements. What class of vest is required for each task type, when Class 3 applies (night work, high-speed roads), and that it's inspected and replaced when damaged.

Equipment exclusion zones. How close workers on foot can be to operating equipment, how spotters are deployed, and the signals used between operators and ground workers.

Emergency procedures. What to do when a vehicle intrudes into the work zone, including who calls 911, how work stops, and how injured workers are stabilized until EMS arrives.

Daily job hazard analysis (JHA). Work zones change daily — lane configurations, equipment positions, and crew locations shift. A daily JHA that addresses the specific traffic control setup is the strongest documented defense you have.

What to Do This Week

NWZAW's Training Day on Monday, April 20 is the practical prompt. Here's what to do with it:

1. Pull your written safety program and check the work zone section. If there isn't one — or if it's a generic paragraph about wearing vests — that's the gap to close before your next project with lane closure work.

2. Brief your flaggers. Review the TCP for your current project, confirm everyone knows the signals, and make sure their certification (if your state requires it) is current and on file.

3. Audit hi-vis apparel. Class 2 is the minimum. If any of your crew works nights or on roads posted above 45 mph, Class 3 is required. Check every vest for reflectivity — faded retroreflective tape fails inspection.

4. Document the training. A sign-in sheet from April 20 showing work zone safety was reviewed is worth more than you'd expect if you're cited later. OSHA's penalty reduction guidelines reward documented good-faith effort — a small employer with a clean record and documented training can see serious citations reduced significantly. See our guide on OSHA safety program costs and options for context on what that investment looks like.

5. Wear orange on Wednesday, April 22 (Go Orange Day). It's symbolic — but using it as a crew conversation about why hi-vis matters takes 10 minutes and costs nothing.

For Earthwork, Utility, and Highway Contractors

The contractors who live in work zones — grading crews, underground utility contractors, paving and milling subs, line marking crews — often treat work zone safety as "just how we work." That familiarity is the risk.

When a crew works in a lane closure every day, complacency sets in. The TCP doesn't get reviewed before the shift starts. Flaggers rotate without confirming qualifications. Equipment operators don't use spotters because the spotter "knows what they're doing."

Those are the conditions OSHA inspectors document after an incident. The fix isn't complicated — it's consistent: written program, daily briefing, documented training, equipment procedures. If your safety program addresses work zone operations and your supervisors can show they follow it, you're in a fundamentally different position than a contractor who can't produce either.

If your program needs work, our 15-question safety program builder covers work zone operations for contractors who work in highway environments. It takes about 15 minutes and produces a program with your company name on every page — ready for OSHA, GC submissions, and ISNetworld prequalification. See our guide to GC safety program requests if you're also dealing with a prime contractor asking for your written program.