ATSSA Signal March/April 2020

The Signal | March/April 2020 23 Government Relations Californiatocompensateusers of specified safety devices ATSSA members are applauding a newCalifornia law that not only benefits companies providing contracted road - way work, but also recognizes the impor - tance of safeguarding roadway workers. The law states that individuals “who construct and maintain California’s roads and transportation infrastructure deserve a safe working environment and to be protected from preventable injury and death. Therefore, protecting construction andmaintenance workers is a high priority.” Peter Vieveen, ATSSAmember and chair of North America Traffic Inc., said hewas proud to see the state of California take such a significant step in terms of road - way safety funding and support. “This new law emphasizes the need for more protection for flaggers inCalifornia and is a valuable step forward inworking Toward Zero Deaths,” Vieveen said. “The shocking data on injuries and fatalities contained in the comments section in the bill analysis is clearly pushing decision makers to take amore-serious-than-ever approach to considering alternatives to traditional work zone safety measures.” According toNational Institute forOccupa - tional Safety and Health statistics, 1,844 roadway workers lost their lives in work zone incidents between 2003 and 2017 and the average number of work-related fatalities averages to about 123 per year. California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill No. 759 into law on Oct. 8. The bill directly impacts roadway workers by providing compensation to contractors that use Automated Flagger Assistance Devices (AFADs) and other safety devices. Rep. Frank Bigelow, (R) 5th District, proposed the bill in February 2019 and was hailed for his efforts on behalf of roadway workers. “This piece of legislation was extremely significant for themen andwomenwork - ing on our state’s roadways,” said Cali - fornia ATSSA Chapter President William Kearney, of Plexus Consulting LLC. “Our chapter members applaud the gover - nor’s passage of this bill and hope to see companies take advantage of this opportunity.” Vieveen said it’s important to support these types of bills. “We encourage and support any initiative pursued by government officials and decision makers who wish to increase the use of positive protectivemeasures to improve safety inwork zones,” he said. “Updating standards and guidance and providing compensation to end users for employing these safety devices will benefit everyone in the end.”