SAFETY ALERT—Please Post	

Protect the Crossing Guards that Protect Our Children

A Community-Wide Concern
In the past seven years, three Massachusetts crossing guards have been killed and many have been injured on the job when struck by vehicles. One of these guards prevented a child from entering into harm’s way before being struck and killed by a car herself.

What can you do as a driver?
Use caution when driving. As a driver, you can look for warning signs that crossing guards and children may be in the road, and be prepared to stop. Crossing guards should receive traffic safety training and safety gear from their employers, but they also depend on drivers to be aware and heed their signals. 

What can you do as a community member?
Speak up to help protect your community crossing guards. If you see a situation in which a crossing guard may be exposed to traffic dangers, take one of the following actions:
•	Contact your local police department.
•	Contact your local school department.

Drivers: Help protect both crossing guards and our children.
Use caution when you see the following signs.

Crosswalks/Pedestrian Crossing Signs: One or both may be used to indicate a crossing area—a white crosswalk painted onto the street, or a pedestrian crossing sign placed in the middle or at the side of the road. If you notice crosswalks to be in poor condition, call your local City or Town Hall.

Reflective Vests: Crossing guards wear brightly colored and highly reflective clothing while on duty so that they are visible in traffic and in inclement weather. 

Stop Paddles: These are hand-held stop signs that crossing guards hold up while walking out into the street to alert drivers that children are crossing.

Remember, taking action to make work safer for crossing guards also helps to protect our children.

For more information on this or other work-related fatalities in Massachusetts, please visit our website: www.mass.gov/dph/FACE

August 2015

FACE Facts| MA FACE MA FACE (Massachusetts Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation) seeks to prevent work fatalities by identifying and investigating these incidents and developing prevention strategies for those who can intervene in the workplace. MA FACE is supported by cooperative agreement # 2U60OH008490-06 from CDC-NIOSH.  This document may be copied freely and found online at www.mass.gov/dph/FACE. If you have comments or questions, call the MA FACE Project at 1-800-338-5223.