April 28, 2025

DALLAS – Ahead of Construction Safety Week 2025, Balfour Beatty announces a groundbreaking safety initiative recognizing live traffic as a fifth fatal risk in construction which expands beyond OSHA's long-established Fatal Four. The initiative acknowledges the unique and substantial hazards posed by vehicles traveling through work zones and Balfour Beatty’s national commitment to eliminating live traffic risks, so everyone goes home safely at the end of each day.

While the construction industry has traditionally focused on OSHA's Fatal Four (falls, struck-by objects, electrocution, and caught-in/between), Balfour Beatty's analysis of industry data and internal safety reports identified live traffic as a significant threat warranting equal attention and mitigation strategies.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, there are approximately 105,000 vehicle crashes in work zones resulting in approximately 42,000 injuries per year. The Department of Transportation also reports that approximately 900 people lost their lives in work zone crashes in 2024. Additionally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 94 to 143 construction workers per year lose their lives from vehicle incidents in work zones.

"The statistics are staggering, construction workers in roadway work zones face life-threatening dangers every day from the driving public," said Richard Ryan, Balfour Beatty US SVP, Safety & Sustainability. "By elevating live traffic to a fatal risk, we're taking action to eliminate these incidents to make our job sites safer. This is about protecting our people, the public and fundamentally changing how our communities approach work zones and understanding that safety is a two-way street that requires awareness and responsibility from both workers and motorists."

Balfour Beatty has executed several innovative approaches and advocacy measures across its operations to actively eliminate live traffic risks in work zones:

• Advanced Warning Technology: Implementation of Safety Cloud ® by HAAS Alert systems across highway projects, providing digital alerts to approaching drivers through navigation apps and connected vehicles.
• Enhanced Visibility Systems: Deployment of specialized strobe lighting systems mounted on equipment and worn by workers, increasing visibility in all weather conditions and at night.
• Legislative Advocacy: Partnering with Carolinas Associated General Contractors (CAGC) and legislators in North and South Carolina to incorporate work zone safety education into driver training programs and testing requirements for new drivers.
• Acknowledgement of differing traffic types: Buildings and Civils project teammates are working across businesses to understand the ways people come in contact with work zones—whether that's pedestrian access near a building project, vehicle traffic alongside a highway or bridge construction, or train operators navigating rail projects—and developing targeted safety protocols for each scenario.

Balfour Beatty’s commitment to recognizing live traffic as a fatal risk also aligns with their ongoing sponsorship with Construction Safety Week and its 2025's theme of "All in Together,”  reflecting on the collective effort and shared responsibility in promoting safety on job sites.

Commenting on the safety initiative, Balfour Beatty US president and CEO Eric Stenman said: "Acknowledging live traffic as a hazard in construction represents teammates’ unwavering commitment to our Zero Harm safety culture. We're not just identifying this as a crisis, we're taking meaningful action to protect lives. When workers leave for their jobs each morning, families expect them to return home safely. By addressing live traffic with the same rigor as OSHA's Fatal Four, we're helping secure that promise is kept. We need the public's help in this mission and our message is simple: slow down, make room and help us save lives. These three simple actions by every driver can prevent tragedy and help everyone return home safely at the end of the day.