Work Zone Safety Bill will save lives

Carolinas AGC (CAGC) is celebrating the passage of the Work Zone Safety Bill, legislation that will save lives for the construction industry and the public. This bill has been five years in the making and is one that CAGC has filed, and pushed for, for years.

CAGC lobbyist Leslie Clark worked closely with SCDOT Secretary Christy Hall and her legislative team to see this bill passed. Clark solicited the help of numerous Senators and suggested several parliamentary procedures during the final days of the legislative session to get the readings needed for passage. As approved, the bill will increase the current fine of $75-$200 (which has been in law for years) to as high as $5,000, depending on the type of injury received. The specific changes in the law are as follows:

• No physical injury must be fined not more than $1,000 and not less than $500, or imprisoned for not more than thirty days, or both.
• Endangerment of a highway worker, where the worker suffers physical injury and the committing of the offense is the proximate cause of the physical injury, must be fined not more than $2,000 and not less than $1,000, or imprisoned for not more than sixty days, or both.
• Endangerment of a highway worker, where the highway worker suffers great bodily injury and the committing of the offense is the proximate cause of the great bodily injury, must be fined not more than $5,000 and not less than $2,000, or imprisoned for not more than three years, or both.
• Endangerment of a highway worker, where the death of the highway worker ensues within three years as a proximate result of injury received by the highway worker related to the endangerment of the highway worker, is guilty of reckless vehicular homicide pursuant to Section 56-5-2910, and, upon conviction, is subject to the penalties contained in that section, including license reinstatement and related conditions.

The above fines are mandatory and cannot be waived. And, to ensure they are used to hire more officers to work your construction zones, the money will be dispersed as follows:

• 65% of fine to the SC Office of the State Treasurer and into a special account (separate and apart from the General Fund) to be used by the Department of Public Safety for work zone enforcement.
• 25% deposited into the State Highway Fund and designated for use by SCDOT to hire off-duty state, county or municipal police officers to monitor construction or maintenance zones.
• 10% to county governing or municipality where charge was disposed in municipal court.

“South Carolina highway contractors appreciate and applaud the Legislature’s passage of the Work Zone Safety Bill! This law will certainly assist in providing a much safer work environment for our employees working to improve our state’s roads and bridges. Also, the fact that 90% of monies from fines collected through this enforcement will be used to provide additional enforcement assures us that this will be a long-term sustainable initiative for our state. Carolinas AGC is proud to be a part of the collaborative effort that assisted in bringing this legislation to fruition,” said CAGC Board of Directors Chair Marty McKee, of King Asphalt in Liberty, SC.

Carolinas AGC is the construction industry association in the Carolinas, bringing value to our thousands of members through networking, government relations, job leads and meeting with owners/designers, meetings second to none, education and training involving such issues as safety and open shop, and community development. Visit www.cagc.org to learn more.