State Rep. Jack O’Malley has introduced legislation continuing his commitment to keeping workers on Michigan’s roads safer.

House Bill 5734 requires the use of concrete barriers during night work, increasing protections at a time when drivers may have difficulty seeing workers and crews on the road.

“We continue to see injuries and fatalities involving workers on our state’s highways, so we must continue to explore ways to prevent these tragedies from occurring,” said O’Malley, of Lake Ann. “In conversations I’ve had with experts on construction and worker safety, night work is dangerous work and the risks are far higher compared to daytime. Visibility can be limited, reaction time can be slower and that puts workers in vulnerable situations. Barriers can shield them from severe injury or death and this puts that standard in place.”

In 2020, the state’s Office of Highway Safety Planning reported over 4,000 work zone crashes resulting in 1,050 injuries and 14 fatalities. In a 2021 survey of highway contractors around the country, 60 percent reported that they had encountered accidents involving a vehicle in their work zones.

The same national survey showed 89 percent of highway contractors think positive protection would help improve safety and prevent tragedies. O’Malley, who chairs the House Transportation Committee, held a hearing in May 2021 on the issue of worker safety as the summer construction season was just beginning to ramp up. Michigan Department of Transportation Chief Operations Officer and Chief Engineer Tony Kratofil told the committee six workers had been killed in Michigan in work zones just in the previous eight months.

The hearing came after O’Malley joined other state legislators on a tour of a construction site on I-69 in mid-Michigan. The group talked with workers on-site to gather input on work zone safety and discuss additional safeguards that could be put in place to improve it.

HB 5734 has been referred to the House Transportation Committee for consideration.