During Work Zone Awareness Week, AGC Vermont Honors Fallen Workers and Renews Call for Work Zone Safety
Vermont Business Magazine As Vermont’s construction season ramps up, the Associated General Contractors of Vermont (AGC Vermont) is marking Work Zone Awareness Week by reaffirming its commitment to jobsite safety and honoring the lives of construction workers who have lost their lives on the job.
This week, AGC Vermont is recognizing Work Zone Awareness Week alongside its annual Workers Memorial observance in Montpelier, a solemn reminder of the human cost of preventable workplace incidents and roadway crashes. The memorial serves as a powerful call to action for motorists, employers, and policymakers alike: safety must always come first.
“Work zone safety is not an abstract concept, it’s personal,” said Richard Wobby, Executive Vice President of AGC Vermont. “Every name we honor at the Workers Memorial represents a life lost too soon and a family forever changed. The best way to honor those workers is by doing everything possible to prevent the next tragedy.”
Work Zones Are Workplaces
Construction work zones are active job sites where Vermonters show up every day to rebuild roads, bridges, and critical infrastructure. Yet roadway work zones remain among the most dangerous environments in the industry, particularly when drivers speed, drive distracted, or disregard signage and flaggers.
During Work Zone Awareness Week, AGC Vermont is amplifying a simple but critical message:
Slow down. Stay alert. Respect the work zone.
“These are real people working just feet from live traffic,” Wobby said. “A moment of impatience or distraction behind the wheel can have irreversible consequences.”
AGC Vermont’s Workers Memorial in Montpelier underscores the association’s long‑standing commitment to safety education, training, and advocacy.
In conjunction with Work Zone Awareness Week, AGC Vermont is emphasizing:
The importance of safe driving behavior through roadway work zones
Ongoing contractor safety training and workforce education
Stronger enforcement and accountability to protect workers and the traveling public
Continued investment in a culture where every worker returns home safely
While the construction industry has made significant progress in safety practices, AGC Vermont leaders stress that zero fatalities must remain the goal.
“Safety is not a slogan; it’s a responsibility,” Wobby added. “Work Zone Awareness Week and the Workers Memorial remind us that progress matters, but complacency costs lives.”
A Message to Vermont Drivers
AGC Vermont urges all motorists to do their part when traveling through work zones:
Obey posted speed limits
Eliminate distractions, including mobile devices
Expect changing traffic patterns
Follow directions from flaggers and workers
“Road work is temporary,” Wobby said. “The loss of a life is permanent.”
About AGC Vermont
The Associated General Contractors of Vermont is the leading voice of the commercial construction industry in Vermont. Representing general contractors, specialty contractors, and construction partners statewide, AGC Vermont advocates for safe jobsites, a skilled workforce, and policies that strengthen Vermont’s infrastructure and economy.
For more information about AGC Vermont’s safety initiatives or Work Zone Awareness Week, visit www.agcvt.org.
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Vermont Business Magazine