Massachusetts safety group wants more highway safety standards

A Massachusetts group is promoting worker safety after a state highway inspector was killed on the job Sept. 14, according to a Sept. 16 report in the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) SmartBrief newsletter.

Gregory Vilidnitsky, 57, was struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver at a construction site on Route 9 in Framingham, according to a WBZ-Boston report.

The Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MASSCOSH) safety watchdog group is now calling for more standards when it comes to road and highway workzones.

“It doesn’t take a drunk driver to get this close to a worker,” said MASSCOSH Executive Director Marcy Goldstein- Gelb in the WBZ report, holding her finger and thumb close together.

Road construction worker Ernie Thomas said in the WBZ report, “I’ve had several close calls over the years. I imagine everyone in this business has.”