Construction work zones are dangerous. Every day, workers who step foot on highways and roads risk danger from vehicle traffic and heavy equipment. Completing work is important, but when safety takes a back seat to production schedules, the result can be deadly.

While we tend to think only in terms of the visibility factor, it is important to remember that the latest ANSI/ISEA 107-2015 standard covers both basic design and performance of high visibility in work garments.

With so much going on, it can often be difficult to spot the contrasting elements. The ability to discern a human being from their environment shouldn’t be as challenging as spotting a chameleon. Of the many concerns we have as drivers, the safety of pedestrians should be a cornerstone.

The Federal Highway Administration, the state of Georgia and local government organizations are partnering with OSHA to sponsor a one-hour Safety Stand-Down at construction sites in Georgia in conjunction with National Highway Work Zone Awareness Week this week.

The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) is backing the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) effort to encourage states to reduce the legal standard of driver impairment due to alcohol consumption, as measured by blood-alcohol content (BAC), from 0.08% to 0.05%.

OSHA has cited Henkels & McCoy Inc. of New Jersey for six serious safety violations at a Neptune work site, where workers were performing water service repair on a road. OSHA issued $42,000 in proposed penalties following an April inspection opened under the agency's national emphasis program on trenches and local emphasis program on highways.