Safety on a construction site isn’t just a slogan; it’s a matter of survival.
Our crews show up each day knowing they’ll be working just feet from live traffic. They wear the vests, set the cones, and trust that the signs will do their job. But cones aren’t concrete walls. Vests don’t stop a distracted driver. And no one ever really feels prepared for how close a near miss can come.
As one of our own, Andy Liker, put it after a driver nearly clipped him in a work zone:
“You never think that it’s going to happen to you, or it could happen to you, but it actually can.”
That moment stuck with Andy. And it sticks with every crew member who’s ever felt the rush of a car too close, or the rumble of tires cutting just over the line. From our side of the barrels, every horn blast rattles. Every driver who doesn’t slow down feels like a gamble.
From the driver’s side, though, a work zone can look like something else entirely: an inconvenience. A delay. A line of barrels that seems to stretch forever.
Two Perspectives. One Reality.
- Crew View:
- “This vest makes me visible, but it doesn’t make me invincible.”
- “One wrong move out there and I don’t go home tonight.”
- “Every car that passes is a 70-mph reminder that trust is fragile.”
- Driver View:
- “A flagger with a stop sign means I’ll be late for work.”
- “A lane closure feels like wasted time.”
- “All I see is traffic, not the people behind the cones.”
Neither perspective is wrong in its emotional impact. However, when it comes to safety, both perspectives must meet in the middle.
Both views have valid emotional impact, but safety requires compromise.
The Small Choices That Save Lives
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For drivers: Safety often comes down to the smallest decisions. Slowing down, even when you’re running late, makes a difference. Staying off your phone, even for “just a second,” can save a life. Taking the time to make eye contact with a flagger before you move forward helps ensure you’ve both communicated clearly. And above all, remembering that the person in the vest is someone’s son, daughter, spouse, or parent helps put the work zone in perspective.
For our crews: Safety is just as much about the choices they make every day. It means setting up zones by the book, no shortcuts. It means watching each other’s backs, even when the job gets hectic. And it means treating every shift like it matters, because it does.
Safety From Both Sides
Roadwork isn’t here to slow you down and irritate you on purpose. It’s about keeping the traveling public moving safely, with infrastructure that will last for years to come. It’s about school buses full of kids, semis carrying food, and families heading home after a long day.
The next time you drive through a work zone, remember Andy’s words:
“Put the phone down and pay attention to what you’re doing, slow down, look around, because not doing so could take a life. It’s very possible.”
From the crew’s side, safety is about trust.
From the driver’s side, it’s about patience.
From both sides, it’s about ensuring everyone gets home safely.
Because in the end, safety doesn’t belong to one side of the barrel or the other. It belongs to all of us.
You can listen to Andy’s story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0JvX-f9QlE
