MANSFIELD — Jeff Sellers told Richland County commissioners on Thursday morning that road construction workers want to go home safely at the end of their shifts.
That’s why the business manager for Laborers’ Local #1216, joined by other union officials, sought and obtained a proclamation from commissioners in support of National Work Zone Awareness Week April 15-19.
There have have been 96 fatalities in the state in construction zone crashes over the past five years, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The state doesn’t collect data to identify which of the 96 fatalities were workers.
Sellers said he represents more than 400 construction union laborers in north central Ohio.
“Our members work in every sector of the construction industry, from highways to roads (and) bridges. We do waterline replacements. We build buildings. We have a long history of building communities here in north central Ohio,” Sellers said.
He said the union wants to increase awareness of the need for safer driving in construction zones, especially as “orange barrel” season begins and road improvement projects begin in earnest.
“Our members get up and go to work every day on the roadways around here and they want to come home safely at the end of each night. That’s why we’re here,” Sellers said.
He was joined at the meeting by Hank Webb, president of Local 1216; Cordell Brooks, regional apprenticeship coordinator with the Ohio Laborers Training and Apprenticeship; Alan Garverick, member of Laborers Local 1216; and Bryant Keith, communications specialist with Ohio LECET, a joint project of Ohio-based locals of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) and the signatory contractors of the Ohio Contractors Association (OCA).
There were 4,093 work zone-related crashes in Ohio in 2023, according to the state’s department of public safety. That’s the No. 1 variable in accidents, according to the data (see graphic above.)
Sellers said in the past five years there have been more than 25,000 work zone-related crashes around Ohio, including more than 300 in Richland County, primarily on U.S. 30 (180 incidents) and I-71 (43).
‘We’re here to raise awareness in the community, encourage people to move over, slow down, and use extra caution when they’re going through work zones this construction season,” Sellers said.
Sellers praised the state law approved in 2023 that made distracted driving a primary offense for which motorists can be stopped and cited by law enforcement.
“If you’re driving with a cell phone in your hand or texting, now you can be cited for that. So I think there’s some progress being made at the state level as it relates to work zone safety. I think we’re certainly moving in the right direction there,” he said.
Commissioner Cliff Mears said the data illustrates most of the state’s crashes occur when they are leaving work at the end of the day.
“Most of them happen during rush hour … people going home. Not coming to work. No one is anxious to get to work,” he said with a laugh.
Sellers said the state data shows most accidents occur when workers are on the job.
“It’s typically during the times where our members are out there working from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. That’s where the vast majority of these incidents are happening,” he said.
Commissioner Tony Vero said the area around I-71 and Ohio 13 is one of the most-trafficked areas in the state.
“If there’s a county where we need to raise awareness, it certainly would be this county. I mean Cleveland, Columbus. We’re near Akron (and0 Canton. What’s the old adage? Ohio is within six hours drive of 60% of the (nation’s) population. You could probably boil that down to Mansfield and Richland County, too,” Vero said.
Work zone safety continues to have the attention of state lawmakers. Ohio House Bill 429, introduced in March, would increase the penalties for reckless driving in a construction zone, including thousands in additional fines and a license suspension.
(Below is a PDF of Ohio House Bill 429, which would stiffen penalties for reckless driving in a construction zone.)
The bill would also expand the definition of a construction zone, defining it as any street or highway that is under “construction, reconstruction, resurfacing, or any other work of a repair or maintenance nature, including public utility work.”
“I am not familiar with that particular piece of legislation,” Sellers said when asked about it. “But anything that we can do collectively to improve the safety of our workers on the Ohio roadways on, I’m certainly in support of it.”
The union leader said continuing to engage and educating the public is the key to protecting workers in construction zones.
He said there were 18 or 19 states that now have cameras set up in work zones.
“I believe Texas has the most stringent law in place where it’s up to a $2,000 fine if you’re caught going ‘X’ amount of mile miles over the speed limit in a construction zone.
“So I think there’s a lot more that can be done, but public awareness is certainly a big part of that,” Sellers said.