Having worked with a variety of heavy highway and street and road construction companies over the years, I have found that many are not aware of the myriad of resources available to them at minimal or no out-of-pocket cost. Various governmental agencies and grant funding mechanisms are in place to develop products and resources to assist employers and employees in training, regulatory compliance, and various aspects of safety, loss prevention, and overall risk management program enhancement.

The following list is not all-inclusive, and I encourage all employers to reach out to other local and state resources to stay abreast of new products and information constantly becoming available.

National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse

• The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse — With a completely redesigned website in 2022, the Clearinghouse is dedicated to providing the transportation construction industry and the general public with comprehensive information to improve motorist, worker, and pedestrian safety in roadway work zones, this is the most comprehensive library of free information and technical resources covering a variety of topics relevant to the roadway construction industry. The Clearinghouse will host a free, virtual conference October 12-13. Register at workzonesafetyconference.org.
• FHWA Work Zone Safety Grant Products — Also accessible via the National Work Zone Clearinghouse, the FHWA Safety Grant has produced a series of products and resources for construction worker training, guidelines to improve work zone safety, and training for agency and governmental employees.

American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) Free Courses

Through federal grant funding, ARTBA provides training and education on a series of topics at no charge. If you are interested in hosting any of these courses, you only need to provide a minimum of 20 participants, a place where ARTBA can teach using their multimedia materials, and coordinate your schedule with ARTBA in advance.

• Online Courses — The ARTBA Online Learning System provides free training and education to the transportation construction community. Individuals can take the courses to improve their knowledge and understanding in specific construction environments, and trainers can use this system to track the progress of individual students. Users will be awarded a certificate upon successful completion of a course.
• Safety Certificate for Transportation Project Professionals — Although this is not a free course, this is a certificate anyone involved in transportation construction projects should consider obtaining. All students who successfully complete the course receive the Safety Certificate for Transportation Project Professionals (SCTPP). It covers the OSHA-10 Hour for Construction objectives and four additional hours of industry-specific topics, including temporary traffic control, risk assessment, and preventing runovers and backovers. Participants who attend both in-person or virtual can receive an OSHA-10 Card.

American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) Work Zone Safety Grant

• The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has awarded ATSSA several grants to fund the development and delivery of roadway safety training and technical resource information. Grant Funded Training is available to private construction firms for $25 per attendee. Core training courses include the Traffic Control Technician, Traffic Control Supervisor, and Flagger Instructor Training. Also available are a series of guidance documents on a variety of roadway safety and temporary work zone requirements and practices.

Included is a link to download a free Work Zone Safety App that serves as a handy tool to calculate the basic component parts of a typical work zone per the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).

US Department of Transportation

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration learning center at the Transportation Safety Institute offers free training for companies and consultants involved in highway safety, including professional development opportunities for improving effective speaking and presenting. This free training:

• provides highway safety professionals essential information and tools
• promotes the enforcement of occupant protection, impaired driving, and traffic safety laws
• supports community efforts to make streets and highways safer

The following resources are not specific to highway construction firms but are valuable websites that employers should be familiar with to develop or improve upon various aspects of safety, health, risk management, and human resources.