Source: Full label image courtesy of Cooper Safety Supply. CHECK UNDER YOUR HARD HAT Identify your hard hat rating and ensure it meets the requirements by checking the label on the inside. You’ll find the label near the fit adjustment wheel. If your hard hat is missing this label, retire it for a new one to guarantee safety. TAKE NOTE T E N discussed what keeps us up at night. The first thing on all our minds is the funerals we attend for workers who have been killed in work zones. We all started talking about this topic and shared information about our safety programs. We look for partnerships throughout the country that help us to better educate the public, motorists, and our PennDOT employees on how to be safe. This panel also discussed some of our ideas on how we can better partner together, and we look forward to discussing this program further. Locally, we work very closely with the Pennsylvania Turnpike on work zone safety and messaging. When PennDOT is looking for partnerships, what are some important characteristics that the organization looks for? Here at PennDOT, we have the P3 Project, which is a contractual agreement between a public entity and a private entity that has been very helpful in regard to getting our projects done within budget and on time. This also allows us the free flow of ideas between the both of us, which can bring on new projects. For instance, this has been especially helpful with the planning of all the significant bridge work our department is focusing on. Overall, we have been very pleased with the feedback from this program thus far. What would you like to see the transportation industry focus on right now? The industry should always focus on safety. But to add to that, I would say technology. There are so many opportunities out there now thanks to real-time data. For example, we have a partnership with Waze, a mobile technology company that provides mapping and travel app services. With this technology, we are able to share and collaborate on information presented to motorists on how to safely navigate our roadways. This technology also receives and reports information back, such as traffic congestion and even the location of hazards like potholes. We want to utilize as much of this kind of data as possible to better focus our resources and improve public safety. INDUSTRY INTERVIEW CONTINUED: In terms of work zone safety, how does PennDOT see autonomous driving vehicles playing a factor in these areas? Work zone safety is something that PennDOT fully supports. We are evaluating methods that keep those traveling or working in our networks safe, and going home safe every night, which is very important. People get distracted very easily, especially teen drivers. You must be fully aware while driving — you never want to just approach a work zone unprepared. As far as the new autonomous technology, we believe it may help drivers move through work zones more safely by consistently managing an appropriate speed of travel. What is your point of view on potential partnerships between department of transportation agencies nationwide to improve campaigns for National Work Zone Awareness Week? Recently, I was on a panel for TRB (Transportation Research Board) with other members of DOTs in which we