April 17th marks the start of National Work Zone Awareness Week. It is imperative that drivers remain aware of worksites and always use proper precautions while traveling through a work zone.

Here are some best practices for protection measures:

• Look at each work zone independently and discuss the best setup to protect your crew

• Position other vehicles or equipment in the work zone to protect your crews — even when you’re not directly exposed to traffic or an attenuator truck is not required .This is especially important while working near openings in the jersey barrier where vehicles can accidentally enter

• Work at night or during off hours to get additional lane closures that can provide more of a buffer zone between you and live traffic

• Utilize MOT permits to plan your work — you can determine if you have enough room in your closure to build in protective measures

• Use extra lane closures to choke live lanes and slow traffic down