SAFE Roads Campaign Targets Road Construction Safety

WINNIPEG – The third annual SAFE Roads campaign, a joint initiative aimed at bringing awareness to the safety of road construction workers, was kicked off today. SAFE Roads is targeted to motorists across the province, asking them to slow down and exercise caution when driving past road construction projects.

“All workers, no matter where their workplace is located, need to be protected from harm,” said Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Ron Lemieux. “In the case of road construction workers, the road is their workplace. The SAFE Roads campaign is an important workplace injury prevention and awareness initiative to help keep them safe.”

The campaign includes radio and transit bus ads that feature the frank message “What the heck were you thinking?”. “We want motorists to pay special attention to road construction signs and reduce their speed in construction zones,” said Scott Fielding, Winnipeg City Councillor. “The goal is to make sure that our road construction workers get to go home safe at the end of the day.”

During the busy summer months, there are numerous road construction projects taking place throughout Manitoba on any given day. As a result, there are many workers working in public places and they all need to be kept safe.

"Motorists play a key part in ensuring the safety of our road and bridge construction workers," said Ernie Gilroy, CEO of the Manitoba Floodway Authority. "In construction zones, motorists are often sharing one road space with workers therefore it’s vitally important for them to take precautions and slow down."

The SAFE Roads campaign is part of the successful SAFE Work initiative that draws attention to the need to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths.

“The SAFE Roads campaign is a wonderful example of a partnership initiative that is aimed at helping prevent workplace injuries,” said WCB Chairperson Tom Farrell. “The uniqueness of this campaign is that it is designed to help protect a very specific population of workers – those working on road construction projects.”

The Highway Traffic Act supports the SAFE Roads campaign by setting penalties for failing to slow down when traveling through construction zones. Offenders caught speeding past crews as they are working will have an additional $5 added to the base fine for every kilometre recorded over the speed limit.

The SAFE Roads campaign initiated by the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association is a joint safety effort between six partners:

•  City of Winnipeg
• Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation
• Manitoba Heavy Construction Association
• Manitoba Floodway Authority
• Manitoba Hydro
• Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba

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