HYDE PARK, NY—The CIC/NYS DOT Region 8 Safety Seminar held at the Culinary Institute of America here in Dutchess County on Wed., Jan. 21, drew more than 150 contractors and union officials to the widely popular program. The daylong program of presentations on topics and activities on DOT jobsites and road projects were introduced by Matthew Pepe of the Construction Industry Council.

Mr. Pepe, who provided the opening remarks for the program, which is now marking its third decade in association with the New York State Department of Transportation, introduced Julianne Fuda, P.E., who was recently appointed as Director of New York State Region 8 Director for the Hudson Valley. Ms. Fuda was named the regional director late last year after most recently serving as NYSDOT Director of the Structures Design Bureau. Ms. Fuda is also a member of the AASHTO Committee on Bridges and Structures, serving as vice chair of the Steel and Metals Committee as well as the Concrete and Research Committees.

Ms. Fuda provided an overview of DOT Region 8’s activities for 2026, with a central focus on new rules, regulations and procedures as well discussing the evolving challenges to worker safety on public construction jobsites.

Ms. Fuda emphasized the importance of diligence and consistency in maintaining workzones, particularly with maintenance and traffic controls, signage usage, pavement markings and cone placement. She stressed that when the public repeatedly encounters workzone warnings without an active or properly set-up work area, they begin to disregard those warnings. Over time, she noted, this complacency can erode driver behavior and increase the risk to workers and motorists alike.

Her core message was that credibility in traffic control setups directly impacts safety outcomes in construction work zones.

The education portion of the seminar was led by Emmett Russell and Robinson Vasquez, safety professionals with the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The topics they covered include Hazard Analysis and Safety Planning, Falls in Roadway Construction, Preventing Runovers and Backovers, Excavation and Trenching Electrocution in Roadway Construction, and Overexertion. The agenda reflected the growing focus on safety among members of the trade association and DOT, designed to expand the body of knowledge of best safety practices in the industry. 

The seminar’s participants earned up to four professional development credits to qualified attendees from the NYS Society of Professional Engineers.

For more information on future CIC seminars, visit www.cicbca.org/events or call CIC headquarters at 914.631.6070.