Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service to train state’s transportation workers

COLLEGE STATION – The Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) has been selected by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to train the agency’s employees across the state. TEEX instructors will provide training in environmental, health & safety, transportation, heavy equipment, traffic operations and utilities through a three-year, $4.6 million contract.

TEEX will be providing instruction in 47 different courses that are part of the TxDOT course catalog. Courses will include Roadway Design and Highway Safety, Heavy Equipment, Environmental, Health & Safety, Flaggers in Work Zones, Excavation Safety and Confined Space Safety, said Transportation/Highway Safety & Heavy Equipment Training Manager Kathy Stone with TEEX’s Infrastructure Training and Safety Institute. The classes will be held at TxDOT District offices throughout the state.

The safety of TxDOT workers and motorists is a vital concern. TxDOT has as many as 2,500 active work zones at any given time, and there were over 27,000 work zone crashes in Texas in 2017. 

“The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that working on or near the roadway next to live traffic is an extremely hazardous job,” said Jerry Ullman, senior research engineer and a national work zone safety expert at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.  “Receiving high-quality training on proper procedures and how to protect oneself while working can mean the difference between going home at the end of the day or not.”  

TEEX has provided training to TxDOT employees since 1969, Stone said. “We value the relationships we have built with TxDOT in recent years, and are pleased to continue to be a preferred training provider. Strong customer relations and dedicated instructors have made this program successful and beneficial to both the transportation workers in our state and the traveling public.”
About TEEX
The Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) is a state agency that is a member of The Texas A&M University System.  It is an internationally recognized leader in the delivery of emergency response, homeland security and workforce training, exercises, technical assistance, and economic development. In 2017, TEEX served more than 173,000 people from across the United States and 75 countries through hands-on training and technical services.