91ÊÓƵ

The construction industry has no shortage of opinions. Built industry professionals can debate everything from hard-dollar vs. experience-based bidding, to the merits of using union labor, to the design for the Columbia River Crossing bridge.

But one opinion about which there is little debate is that safety, above all, is the most important factor when working on a project.

I want to take a moment to remind everyone in the industry that this week – April 4 to April 8 – is . The awareness week, part of the Federal Highway Administration’s goal to increase safety, is meant to remember victims of work-zone accidents while raising awareness about safety precautions for workers and motorists within work zones.

Here are a few facts from the Oregon Department of Transportation that might put this issue into perspective.

• Over the last 10 years in Oregon, there’s been an average of 475 work-zone related crashes each year, 18 of which resulted in serious injuries and eight in fatalities.
• There were nine fatalities in work zones across Oregon in 2010 and 18 in 2009.
• Fatalities in work zones have been decreasing on the national level, with 667 in 2009, 720 in 2008 and 835 in 2007. While creating awareness programs and drawing attention to the issue has helped, it hasn’t been the only solution. Construction workers that work on the roads or near water are still seven times more likely to die than the average worker.

With all this said, take a moment this week to remember those who have lost their lives and strengthen your safety plan so no one else has to.

For more information on how you can improve safety in work zones, visit this .

Photo of workers on the Interstate 5 Seattle-to-Shoreline Pavement Repair project courtesy of via Flickr.