US Department of Labor’s OSHA, industry partners to promote workplace safety during national work zone awareness week in Georgia

ATLANTA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is partnering with several construction organizations to promote worker safety through a safety stand down taking place at Georgia construction sites and traffic work zones, April 11-15.

The Georgia Struck-by Alliance Safety Stand Down is meant to encourage safety training focused on preventing struck-by accidents at construction sites throughout Georgia. A toolbox of resources will be available online via the Associated General Contractors of Georgia Inc. to help guide best practices.

“This alliance has two pillars,” said OSHA’s Regional Administrator for the Southeast, Kurt Petermeyer, in Atlanta. “It encourages industry leaders to hold safety stand downs industry-wide, throughout Georgia, stressing employee safety. It also heightens workers’ awareness and ability to identify and eliminate work hazards. One workplace fatality or injury is one too many, and training is a key preventive measure.”

In addition to construction companies, the Georgia Struck-by Alliance is designed for trade associations, local governmental agencies, professional societies, consumer/labor-management organizations and contractors. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that in 2020 more than 1,000 people died in roadway incidents nationwide.

Members of the public interested in more information should contact OSHA’s Atlanta-West Area Office at (678) 903-7301, the Atlanta-East Area Office at (770) 493-6644, or the agency’s Savannah Area Office at (912) 652-4393.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, OSHA’s role is to promote safe and healthful working conditions by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, outreach and education. Employers and workers can access OSHA resources and information on highway work zones.