National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) is an annual spring campaign that reminds drivers to slow down and pay attention in highway work zones, where road crews work within feet of moving traffic. The campaign is supported by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), which manages the official website, and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), along with state transportation departments. It is held each April at the start of the main construction season.
The message matters to two groups of employers: those whose crews build and maintain roads and utilities, and those whose drivers travel through work zones every day. Both have a stake in what happens when traffic meets a lane closure.
When Is National Work Zone Awareness Week in 2027?
The official NWZAW website lists the 2027 campaign as April 26–30, 2027, with a national kickoff hosted by the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C., on April 26. The organizers describe the schedule as tentative, so check the site for updates before you finalize plans. The week is held in April each year and a different host agency leads the national kickoff each time.
Key days published for 2027 include Go Orange Day on Wednesday, April 28, when people wear orange to show support for road workers, followed by a social media push and a moment of silence later in the week. The 2026 theme was Safe Actions Save Lives. The 2027 theme has not been announced.
Why It Matters at Work
Work zones change the road in ways drivers do not expect: narrowed lanes, shifted traffic, sudden stops and workers on foot. According to FHWA work zone facts and statistics, 891 people died in work zone crashes in 2022. Most of them, 742, were drivers and passengers, which means the people most at risk are often the motorists themselves.
FHWA's figures also show why fleets should pay attention. Large trucks were involved in 246 fatal work zone crashes in 2022, about 30 percent of the total. Rear-end crashes made up 21 percent of fatal work zone crashes and speeding was involved in 34 percent. FHWA also reports 94 highway worker deaths at road construction sites in 2022.
For road crews, the main hazard is being struck by a passing vehicle or by construction equipment inside the work area. OSHA lists struck-by incidents among the most common hazards for highway workers, along with falls, electrical hazards and caught-between hazards.
How to Take Part
- Use the official resources. The NWZAW website posts a calendar of state and local events, social media images and a promotion guide each year.
- Wear orange on Go Orange Day and share photos with the campaign hashtags #NWZAW and #Orange4Safety.
- Hold a work zone safety stand-down for crews, covering traffic control setup, escape routes and equipment backing.
- Brief your drivers. Remind fleet drivers to slow down, increase following distance and avoid lane changes inside work zones. This pairs well with Distracted Driving Awareness Month, which runs all of April.
- Audit a live work zone. Walk a current job with a checklist that covers signs, cones, flagger positions and high-visibility apparel.
- Review incident data. Look at near misses, intrusions and vehicle damage reports from past projects to find the setups that need work.
Toolbox Talk: Driving and Working Near Traffic
- Expect the unexpected. Work zones can have sudden stops, lane shifts and workers close to the road. Slow down as soon as you see the first sign.
- Leave room. Rear-end crashes are common in work zones. Keep extra space so you can stop if traffic ahead brakes hard, especially in a loaded truck.
- Keep your eyes up. No phone use, no screen adjustments. Watch for flaggers and follow their directions and the posted signs.
- On the crew side, set up right. Place signs, cones and barriers according to the traffic control plan before anyone steps into the work area.
- Be seen and have a way out. Wear high-visibility apparel, stay inside the protected area and know where you would move if a vehicle entered the zone.
Discussion question: Where on our routes or projects have you seen a vehicle come too close to workers, and what could we change to prevent it?
Related Requirements
Construction employers working in highway work zones are covered by OSHA's construction standards for signs, signals and barricades, which reference the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). Part 6 of the MUTCD sets national rules for temporary traffic control, including sign placement, channelizing devices and flagging. See OSHA's Highway Work Zones and Signs, Signals, and Barricades page for the standards and guidance. Commercial drivers must also follow state traffic laws, and many states raise fines for speeding in active work zones.
How SMS360 Helps
Fleet360 helps you keep work zone safety on the agenda for both drivers and crews. You can schedule and track driver and crew training, run digital checklists and inspections on a mobile device at the job site, and report incidents, near misses and observations from the field. Assign corrective actions when a setup falls short, store traffic control plans and other documents in one place, and use dashboards to see where problems repeat across projects and routes. Teams that use a structured job hazard analysis can store it with the traffic control plan so everyone works from the same documents.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is National Work Zone Awareness Week 2027?
The official NWZAW website lists April 26–30, 2027, with Go Orange Day on Wednesday, April 28. The schedule is marked tentative, so confirm the dates on the site closer to the event.
Who organizes National Work Zone Awareness Week?
NWZAW is a partnership of FHWA, ATSSA and AASHTO, with state transportation departments and industry groups taking part. ATSSA manages the official website, and a different agency hosts the national kickoff each year. The U.S. Department of Transportation is the listed host for 2027.
What is Go Orange Day?
Go Orange Day is the day during NWZAW when people wear orange, the color of work zone safety equipment, to show support for road workers. Participants often share photos on social media using the campaign hashtags. In 2027 it is scheduled for Wednesday, April 28.
