04/08/2008 Print Version
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
is home to some of the best workers in the world, and their ability to build,
repair and maintain thousands of miles of streets, highways and related
infrastructure is remarkable. Doing this
work, however, can pose serious risks, and hundreds of workers are killed in work
zones around the country each year.
Maintenance workers, construction contractors,
contracting agencies and others face the vitally important challenge of
ensuring a safe workplace while enabling the movement of the public through the
work zones. Highway and street
construction present an especially complex situation in which workers may face many
dangers under conditions that change without warning. In fact, each year in the United States,
more highway workers are killed than police and firefighters combined.
California is a leader in protecting our roadside workers, and
our state's crash, injury and fatality numbers in work zones are falling much
quicker than the national average. In
1999, Caltrans launched the Slow for the
Cone Zone public awareness campaign to help combat this problem, and since
then, highway work zone accidents have decreased each year.
This year, California
is proud to host the annual National Work Zone Awareness Week Kick-Off event at
the State Capitol. I am excited that
transportation and highway safety officials from around the country will come
together to share ideas on how to improve roadside safety and protect the workers
who contribute so much to our nation.
NOW,
THEREFORE, I, ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, Governor of the State of California,
do hereby proclaim April 7-11, 2008, as "Work Zone Awareness Week in California."
IN WITNESS
WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand
and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 8th day of April
2008.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
Governor of California
ATTEST:
DEBRA BOWEN
Secretary of State
