TxDOT Makes History with Safest Year on Record

Agency recognized with prestigious award for promoting work zone safety

AUSTIN — At the Texas Department of Transportation, “safety first” is more than just a written goal—it’s the way business is done.

Today, agency leaders announced that FY 2012 was the best year ever for the agency in terms of safety citing TxDOT’s lowest number of injuries on record; lowest number of lost-time injuries in department archives; and lowest number of lost-production days. These all-time achievements marked FY 2012 as the safest year in the department’s 95-year history.

"From the highways to the hallways, every single TxDOT team member played a crucial role in delivering their commitment to safety, and it’s because of their dedication that we can celebrate this amazing achievement," said Phil Wilson, TxDOT Executive Director "We must remain vigilant to practice safety first as our team members work amidst increasing traffic and hazardous conditions."

To promote the agency’s safety first commitment, TxDOT launched its Mission Zero Campaign last year, a public outreach program designed to reduce work zone construction accidents, injuries and fatalities. The campaign was recently named the 2012 winner of the American Road and Transportation Builder Association—Transportation Development Foundation’s (ARTBA-TDF) Roadway Work Zone Safety Awareness Award. ARTBA is a transportation advocacy group promoting infrastructure investment.

For the third year in a row, TxDOT’s historic safety record also ranked the agency as the nation’s leader among all reporting state departments of transportation.

Five TxDOT districts—Brownwood, Pharr, Paris, Bryan and Atlanta—achieved zero lost time injuries for FY 2012, and the Brownwood District holds the distinction of eight consecutive years without lost time on the job. Zero lost time records were also set in two of TxDOT’s regions and the agency’s Port Aransas Ferry operations. Field personnel in these offices begin and end each day with a safety discussion.

"Our most important job is getting our team home safely so that we can do the work Texas drivers depend on us to do," Wilson added.