Eric Yates and Jason Sikora still remember where they were on March 22, 2023, when they heard the news: six road workers lost their lives along I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland when two motorists traveling over 100 miles per hour careened through a temporary center median concrete barrier. Just weeks later, with the collective industry still reeling from the tragedy, an asphalt superintendent was killed in Raleigh, North Carolina, when an impaired driver crashed an SUV into his work zone.

While these fatalities did not occur on Balfour Beatty jobsites, Eric and Jason knew all too well that they could have. Or that of any other highway, bridge or road contractor.

Eric, a 25-year industry veteran with 15 years of experience as a safety, health and environment leader, and Jason, a 30-year industry veteran whose experience spans three states and multiple industries, witness the potentially fatal risks of working in and around live traffic every day. While especially egregious in their magnitude and proximity, the fatalities that occurred in spring 2023 were not anomalies but rather representative of an alarming surge of work zone fatalities across the nation.

Eric and Jason were convinced that making any meaningful impact on that trend would take a completely new and different approach than the existing tools in their toolbelts. But what?

At the next Carolinas Associated General Contractors (CAGC) safety committee meeting, Eric recalls his plea that was both a deep lament and urgent call to action: “We’re building roads for people, and it’s killing our teammates.”

Every head around the room nodded in somber unison.

A Different Approach to Drive Different Outcomes

Eric’s passion naturally propelled him to a position of leadership as chairman over the CAGC’s new work zone safety initiative. The cross-functional committee, which included representatives from peer contractors, the North Carolina and South Carolina Departments of Labor, Zurich Insurance Group, industry attorneys and more, convened monthly to brainstorm and research new approaches.

While each committee member brought their unique background and expertise, all vital to the effort, Jason’s experiences as the only field operations leader were invaluable. He helped create a common understanding of the realities work zone crews face and assessed the practicality and effectiveness of proposed solutions.

Initially, the committee explored strategies that had yielded success in other states such as the use of blue lights on construction vehicles. The group quickly learned that this is prohibited by law in the Carolinas. As the committee further investigated the root causes of work zone intrusions and crashes, it became readily apparent that achieving a different outcome would require a radically different approach.

As construction professionals are known to do, they reverse engineered the problem, beginning by investigating the work zone education new drivers receive. As the committee soon discovered, the education wasn’t just lacking – it was virtually nonexistent beyond superficial familiarity with work zone signage.

“We can’t achieve Zero Harm in our work zones when drivers receive zero training,” recalls Eric. “We believed that – much in the same way new drivers learn about school bus safety – we could much more deeply embed work zone safety education as part of the driver's license certification process.”

Advocacy + Action Across the Carolinas

In collaboration with its parent chapter, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), the CAGC and work zone safety committee rolled up their sleeves and got to work.

They knew they had to do more than appeal to legislators’ knowledge of work zone hazards with facts and stats. They had to make their case deeply personal, appealing to government officials as mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, friends and neighbors. They had to make the case that the care and protection of human life inside work zones rested on their shoulders.

In May 2024, the AGC/CAGC released a powerful video call to action for greater work zone awareness. Alongside several industry peers, Eric and Jason directly addressed the harrowing realities that work zone crews face and poignantly acknowledged the ongoing pain and trauma that crews experience because of losing colleagues and friends in work zone fatalities.

Both across the industry and at the legislative levels, the reaction to the video was immediate and positive, successfully mitigating any remaining reservations and barriers that cleared the way for the forthcoming legislation.

“Industry partnerships are a cornerstone of our association. By working with members like Balfour Beatty in this initiative we can ensure that work zones in North and South Carolina are safer for our workers and the traveling public. We appreciate the leadership that Eric and Jason have shown in this initiative,” commends Jacob Garmon, director of safety, suppliers & sponsorships for the CAGC.

Setting the Standard in South Carolina

Fortuitously, a work zone safety legislative initiative was already underway in South Carolina because of a statewide increase in fatal work zone crashes. The law, which mandated South Carolina’s Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV)’s implementation of a construction work zone safety program, was introduced in February 2024 and signed into effect on May 20, 2024. Coined Operation Work Zone Awareness, the law required all new drivers to complete a one-hour safety training course, integrated into their existing eight-hour driver education.

Upon passage of the legislation, the CAGC collaborated with the SCDMV and statewide driving training schools to develop the one-hour construction work zone training video that is now required for all new drivers. With the passage of this legislation, South Carolina impressively became the third state in the country to include work zone awareness in driver education.

Just a few months later, Eric attended the ceremonial bill signing with CAGC members and staff, along with South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, Sen. Ross Turner and SCDOT Secretary Justin Powell.

In reflecting on the magnitude of the moment for work crews, Jason cuts to the heart of the matter, “It means we get to go home at the end of the day. It’s really that simple. And we want the public to go home just as much as we want to go home.”

A New Era of Work Zone Safety in North Carolina

North Carolina followed suit on June 27, 2024, when Governor Roy Cooper signed House Bill 199, which requires the inclusion of a highway work zone training course. The requirement becomes effective on December 1, 2025, and applies to driver education programs beginning with the 2026-2027 school year.

Between 2019 and 2024, North Carolina reported a staggering 39,919 work zone crashes, resulting in 217 fatalities. This bill aims to reverse that trend.

“Nothing is more important than safety and we’ve made a lot of good strides, but we still have a long way to go to make sure everybody’s safe in both the construction industry and the traveling public,” says Dave Simpson, president and CEO of the CAGC.

Through their partnership with the CAGC and individual leadership, Eric and Jason have made important strides to improve work zone safety across the Carolinas. But they know their work is not yet done. Balfour Beatty is committed to ushering in a new era of work zone safety where contractors, public agencies and the public work together for the greater good, ensuring everyone goes home safely. Every cone, barrier and flashing light symbolize our unwavering commitment to protecting both our workforce and the traveling public.