Minnesota Department of Transportation employees are taking a pause during the workday Monday to reflect on the deaths of two contractors, killed on back-to-back days last week.
The agency mandated all employees to observe a “safety stand down” at some time during their shift. The deliberate stoppage will vary in time and length from department to department and could include discussions, meetings, a moment of silence or other ways to reflect on the deaths of Pierre Mack and Adam Smith, said spokeswoman Anne Meyer.
Mack, 29, of St. Paul, was fatally struck shortly before 9 a.m. Wednesday in a Burnsville work zone on southbound Interstate 35W near Hwy. 13, the State Patrol said.
Mack was on foot when he was hit by the truck with a boom attachment, said patrol Lt. Mike Lee.
The next day, Smith, 25, of Seymour, Wis., was on foot when he was fatally struck by a dump truck driving in reverse in a city of Maple Grove project near Hwy. 610 and Maple Grove Parkway, the patrol said.
In a memo to MnDOT employees, Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger said she was “deeply saddened and concerned” in the wake of the two deaths. “Safety remains our number one priority, and MnDOT staff are working closely with the contractors, Minnesota State Patrol and Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration to ensure a full and thorough investigation of these incidents.”
MnDOT will look into potential new practices or protocols to maximize safety and mitigate risks in work zones.
In the memo, Daubenberger issued the mandatory “safety stand down of work” to remember the workers and recommit to the safety of every person who works for or with MnDOT.
