Roadworker safety will take centre stage at Highways UK on 15 October, as industry leaders come together to discuss abuse, share practical guidance and invite visitors to support a national initiative to protect people working on the UK’s roads.
The discussion will address the threats roadworkers face, including verbal abuse, physical assault, vehicles deliberately driven at them and objects thrown at them, all while they work to maintain the roads and keep road users safe.
Joining Neil Levett, Director of No Excuse for Roadworker Abuse (NEFRA), who will chair the Big Thinking Theatre session, “Roadworker safety: Explaining how the industry has come together on Thursday 15th October at 11.40 will be Joanna Vezey, Managing Director, Highways, at Balfour Beatty; John Coombes, Contract Director at Kier; Kerry Winstanley, Managing Director of LCRIG; Teresa Moss, HSW Supply Chain Engagement Manager at National Highways; and Paula Parsons, Chair of the No Excuse for Roadworker Abuse Campaign.
Ahead of Roadworker Safety Week, taking place from 16-20 November, Balfour Beatty, Kier, Costain, WSP and Galliford Try have pooled their knowledge and guidance into a shared set of presentation slides for National Highways’ Supply Chain Safety Leadership Group. The materials will support a common safety theme throughout the week and help organisations deliver consistent messages to their teams.
Visitors to stand D2A at Highways UK can learn more about these resources and sign the Highways UK pledge for 2026, committing their support to NEFRA’s work.
NEFRA’s objective is to operate as a not-for-profit organisation that brings the industry together to collaborate and share incident data through the RAISE reporting app. The initiative aims to create the UK’s first nationally held dataset covering roadworker abuse and incursions across both the Strategic Road Network (SRN) and roads outside the SRN.
Supported by National Highways, LCRIG (on behalf of the UK local authority community), HAUC/Street Works UK, CECA and the industry itself, NEFRA aims to make historical incident information available to inform the planning of future schemes, identify risks and help prevent further incidents.
Sharing information between competitors, clients and supply chains will support a collective approach to safety, with the protection of colleagues working on the network every day as the overriding priority, regardless of their employer, scheme or project.
The session and stand activities will give visitors an opportunity to understand the industry’s shared approach, explore the resources available and pledge their support for safer working conditions on the UK’s roads.
Visit stand D2A to meet the Directors of NEFRA and join the discussion in the Big Thinking Theatre at 11.40 on 15 October.
Listen to exclusive content from Highways UK on our special Highways Voices podcasts from the event sponsored by AGD Systems, Arcadis, Nicander, SWARCO and Westcotec.
(Picture: Paul Hutton/Highways News)
