The New Jersey Work Zone Safety Conference promotes work zone safety awareness on local and state roadways for a multi-disciplinary audience of construction, engineering, public safety, maintenance, and operations personnel.

This year’s in-person event will commence with a presentation by the Department of Transportation on their updated 2023 Work Zone Safety Set-Up Guide. Addiction Specialist Bonnie Nolan will discuss the often-unspoken important topic of Opioid Addiction in the Workplace and how employers should address this health and safety issue. The keynote presentation will be delivered by Greg Stefan, Senior Vice President of Risk Control for Arch Insurance Group. He will impart his knowledge on Work Zone Liability from the insurance carrier perspective. Professional Engineer Theodore Green from Rutgers CAIT will address Pedestrian Access in Work Zones. James Philbin and James Weist will address Fatalities in Work Zones and some of the root causes from their unique public safety backgrounds. The conference will conclude with a panel discussion focused on the topic of Complacency in Work Zones that can lead to tragic outcomes.

As part of the program, the New Jersey Work Zone Safety Excellence Awards will be presented to recognize inspiring efforts of individuals, companies and roadway agencies that have demonstrated effective temporary traffic control in planned work zones on New Jersey roadways.

Hosted by Rutgers Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT) and the New Jersey Work Zone Safety Partnership (NJWZSP). The NJWZSP is an ad hoc committee with the primary goal of promoting work zone safety education and awareness to reduce the number of workers and road users being injured or killed in work zones. The NJWZSP includes representatives from both the public and private sectors involved with work zone activities.

8:30 a.m. Opening Remarks

David Maruca, Program Development Administrator, Rutgers CAIT

Michael J. Rizol,Jr., Director, New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety

Robert Clark, Division Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, NJ Division

Richard Mendelson, Regional Administrator, US Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Transportation

9:00 a.m. “NJDOT Updated Work Zone Safety Set-up Guide”

 Robert Zydorski, Asst. Chief of Occupational Safety, NJDOT

9:30 a.m. “Opioid Addiction”

 Bonnie Nolan, PhD., Addiction Services Coordinator, Woodbridge Twp.

10:15 a.m. Break

10:30 a.m. Keynote Address: “The Reality of Work Zone Liability”

 Greg Stefan, Senior Vice President of Risk Control, Arch Insurance Group

11:15 a.m. “Pedestrian Accessibility in Work Zones”

 Theodore Green, P.E., Engineering Project Manager, Rutgers CAIT

11:45 a.m. Presentation of 2023 Work Zone Safety Excellence Awards

12:00 p.m. Lunch/Visit Exhibits

1:00 p.m. “Work Zone Fatalities”

 James Philbin, Director of Operations in PA, Atlas Flasher

 James Weist, Sergeant, Cherry Hill Police Department

1:30 p.m. Panel Discussion: “Complacency in Work Zones”

 Moderator: Frank Pumphrey, Captain, Cedar Grove Police PD

 Panel: Chris Beach, Training & Safety Manager, Atlas Flasher

 Frank Soos, SFC, Construction Unit Head, NJSP

 Craig Cooper, TCC, Work Zone Contractors

 Gary Holsten, Lt., Traffic Safety, South Brunswick PD

2:30 p.m. Adjourn