OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — 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 the state’s highways, interstates and bridges. Safety is ODOT's top priority, and the agency conducts onsite reviews, accident follow-up and ongoing safety education as part of its worker safety program.

At a recent Oklahoma Transportation Commission meeting, Governor Stitt and Secretary of Transportation Tim Gatz 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 division with the best overall safety record in the past year. The 2018 award went to Division Five, which is the first division to win the Governor’s Safety Excellence Award two years in a row. Division Five had eight injuries and 12 lost working days in 2018, 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 Governor’s Safety Award winner. Division Five is headquartered in Clinton and is led by Division Engineer Brent Almquist. The division includes Beckham, Blaine, Custer, Dewey, Greer, Harmon, Jackson, Kiowa, Roger Mills, Tillman and Washita counties.

The Progressive Excellence Award recognizes the ODOT field division with the most improved safety rating in the past year. The award for 2018 was presented to Division Six, which is headquartered in Buffalo under the leadership of Division Engineer Ron McDaniel. The division improved its safety performance by 73 percent since last year. Division Six includes Alfalfa, Beaver, Cimarron, Ellis, Harper, Major, Texas, Woods and Woodward counties.

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

The winners for 2018 are:

• Division One, Cherokee County Maintenance Crew in Tahlequah
• Division Two, Division Wide Bridge Crew in Antlers
• Division Three, Pontotoc County Maintenance Crew in Ada
• Division Four, Division Wide Bridge Crew in Perry
• Division Five, Greer County Maintenance Crew in Mangum
• Division Six, Division Wide Traffic Crew in Buffalo
• Division Seven, I-35 Interstate Maintenance Crew in Ardmore
• Division Eight, Division Wide Survey Crew in Tulsa
• Division Nine/Oklahoma City Headquarters, Office Services Division