Indiana American Water encourages safe driving and worker awareness during National Work Zone Awareness Week campaign

As a part of National Work Zone Awareness Week, Indiana American Water is emphasizing driver awareness and safety in active work zones. When encountering these hazards, the company stresses the importance of respecting the spaces where essential infrastructure work is taking place.

“It’s important for us because we work in work zones all the time, so our folks are exposed to traffic hazards constantly,” Health and Safety Program Manager Chris Ross said. “The trend all across the nation is that there are spikes in work zone related injuries as distractions rise in the vehicle.”

Ross encourages people to not just be patient and stay alert of changing traffic patterns, but also to use traffic control as much as possible.

“Anyone who is driving through our work zones needs to pay attention and eliminate their distractions,” Ross said. “Taking it slow is important. If you need to, take a different route around, and just give our folks the amount of time and the right space to be able to do the work that is needed.”

National Work Zone Awareness Week takes place every day from April 20-24. Indiana American Water plans to participate in many different activities throughout the course of the campaign.

The first day focuses on Work Zone Safety and serves as the training day. The national kickoff will take place on the second day in Farmington, Connecticut. Everyone across the country can participate in Go Orange Day in the middle of the week, which encourages people to wear orange to show their support of work zone safety. The fourth day is the Social Media Storm, which is where everyone can use #NWZAW and #WorkZoneSafety to increase awareness. On the final day, companies and families will come together for a moment of silence as a tribute to the people who lost their lives in a work zone incident.

“We’re really highlighting driver safety throughout this week,” Ross said. “Around the American Water Network, we’re pushing out safety talks for our crews to go over in the morning before they go out to their job sites. There will be a high focus on that for our construction crews before they hit the streets and start doing their work.”

Whether it’s water and wastewater infrastructure upgrades or routine maintenance and cleaning, American Water is primarily focused on investing to keep crews and motorists safe.

“These investments, whether it’s main breaks or service lines or meters that we’re installing, are crucial to our business. It’s crucial to keeping the water flowing to our customers and providing that high-quality customer service that we hold ourselves to here at American Water,” Ross said. “Doing this work is going to greatly help us provide services and protect our workforce while doing it.”

While National Work Zone Awareness Week is a one-week annual campaign, Ross believes the awareness should be echoed all year long, as construction crews are constantly working.

“We ask that people respect those zones as they would their own family members. If they can have this takeaway throughout National Work Zone Awareness Week, then I think that’s a success,” Ross said.

American Water preaches the simple rules of staying alert, slowing down, and providing ample space when traveling through work zones. It’s important to pay attention to flaggers, workers, and equipment, especially when a sudden stop occurs. Following posted speed limits and adjusting on-the-fly for traffic flows and weather conditions is essential to work zone safety. The rule of thumb is to leave at least three seconds of braking room between other vehicles. Being mindful of these rules can expedite the process while keeping you out of harm’s reach.

“Every second matters,” Ross said. “Every car driving 55 miles per hour travels more than 80 feet per second. In a matter of seconds, it’s more than a football field. Put the distractions down for our folks while they’re out on the road, doing the necessary work that we need to do to keep the water and life flowing.”For more information on Indiana American Water, you can visit amwater.com/inaw.