ODOT maintenance crew in Sallisaw recognized for workplace safety

Safety and teamwork in highway work zones are critical to seeing that each worker makes it home at the end of the day. The men and women of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation work in all conditions and put their lives on the line to help construct and maintain our state’s highways, interstates and bridges. The agency conducts onsite reviews, accident follow-ups and ongoing safety education as part of its worker safety program. Safety is ODOT’s top priority.

At the Oklahoma Transportation Commission’s June meeting, Secretary of Transportation Tim Gatz and ODOT Safety Manager Keith Sorsdal handed out awards to those crews who demonstrated a continued commitment to safety in the past year.

The Governor’s Safety Excellence Award is presented annually to the ODOT field district with the best overall safety record in the past year. The 2022 award went to District Three, headquartered in Ada and led by District Engineer Ron Brown. The district includes Cleveland, Coal, Garvin, Hughes, Johnston, Lincoln, McClain, Okfuskee, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie and Seminole counties. The South Central district had one injury and only six lost days, which is the best performance of any division in the past year. Total accidents, accident severity and lost work days are all taken into consideration in determining the award winner.

The Progressive Excellence Award recognizes the ODOT field district with the most improved safety rating in the past year. The award for 2022 was presented to District Two, which is headquartered in Antlers under the leadership of District Engineer Anthony Echelle. The district in Southeastern Oklahoma improved its safety performance by 36 percent since last year. District Two includes Atoka, Bryan, Choctaw, Latimer, LeFlore, McCurtain, Marshall, Pittsburg and Pushmataha counties.

The Director’s Safety Awards are presented to the unit in each of ODOT’s eight field districts and its Oklahoma City headquarters with the best safety record for 2022. Consideration is given to safety, housekeeping, training and equipment maintenance.

The winners for 2022 are:

• District One — Sequoyah County Maintenance Crew in Sallisaw

• District Two — Latimer County Maintenance Crew in Wilburton

• District Three — Wewoka Construction Residency • District Four — I-35 Interstate Maintenance Crew in Tonkawa

• District Five — Greer County Maintenance Crew in Mangum

• District Six — Woods County Maintenance Crew in Alva

• District Seven — Carter County Maintenance Crew in Ardmore

• District Eight — Pawnee County Maintenance Crew in Pawnee

• Oklahoma City headquarters — Office of Information Technology