Mark Schoenfelder, District Engineer, shares a Thanksgiving message in this video. Thank you for all that you do!

A substantial amount of workers compensation claims are due to slips, trips and falls. This is a MnDOT concern and here are a couple of the efforts to help reduce that number.

Modified Gait

Previously, a safety tip while walking on ice was the penguin walk. There is now a new technique to help prevent falls on slippery surfaces which is called the Modified Gait:

• Head over shoulders
• Shoulders over hips
• Hips over ankles
• Head up, eyes forward
• Half steps and walking forward
• Keep your eyes on path with limited head up and down movement

This was shared during the Slip Simulator training. If you have questions about this, please contact the Slip Simulator trainers: John Lutzi and Tony McCracken. More info about the Slip Simulator can be found on the SharePoint site.

Facility plans

A snow and ice removal plan has been put together for every building in District 6. It outlines things such as areas of responsibility, designated employees for removal, equipment and a plan for a root cause analysis if an incident does occur. If you have questions about these plans, please contact your supervisor. 

Everyone can help with snow and ice removal at our buildings! Ice melt and shovels will be located by most pedestrian doors and every employee can assist by clearing snow and ice from the entrance if they notice it needs attention. Thank you in advance for keeping all of us safe!

Welcome new team members and congratulations to those who are celebrating anniversaries with MnDOT! Check out the list of them on iHUB and in this PDF.

Thank you to everyone in District 6 who participated in the Combined Charities Campaign in October. We raised over $800! We held a potluck and an online silent auction which resulted in 94 bids and 2,711 page views on the site. We also sold tickets to pie a supervisor. Check out the video of the "winners" getting pied: John Lutzi, Derrick Crews and Nick Maki.    

Brianna Jensch, Miranda Floren and Nina Stupeck led the campaign in District 6, and Derrick Crews, Julie Dodge and Tony McCracken were instrumental with ideas and getting others involved. We appreciate all of their hard work and that they made such a positive difference!

There is still time to donate

As of Nov. 9, 63 MnDOT employees have pledged to donate a combined total of $40,764 in 2024 through a designated payroll deduction. We are lower than last year, but there is still time to donate. Last year at this time, we had 88 employees pledge to donate a total of $66,669. If you would like to participate in the Combined Charities program and donate to a charity of your choice:

• Go to the Self Service Portal (state.mn.us/employee) and log in.
• Select “My Pay”.
• Select “Charitable Deductions” and from this page, you can review and add or update voluntary deduction information.

• All staff must complete online mandatory MMB Annual Compliance Training by Friday, Dec. 1, 2023. These courses are located in your Minnesota Self Service Portal in the Learning Management tab under My Learning (not the MnDOT Learning Center). 
• Mentor and Sponsor Program applications due by Nov. 30.
• Please remember that there are resources available to you and your family 24/7 through the Employee Assistance Program:
  • For free, confidential help and support, you can reach a counselor anytime by calling 651-259-3840 or 1-800-657-3719.
  • You can also text “Hello” to 61295 to begin a conversation.
  • Browse an online resource library or connect via email with the password: stmn1
• Check out the Weekly Safety Incident Report (Statewide). It's a great resource to aid in conversations about how to prevent safety incidents. It can be found on our D6 iHUB homepage and on the Safety Department iHUB page under Featured safety resources. 

Your help is needed in finding great candidates. Check out all of our openings on the career page including these positions: 

• Engineering Specialist – Design/Project Development: Job ID 70733
• Traffic Engineer: Job ID 68376
• Transportation Generalist Senior or Transportation Generalist -  Rochester Construction: Job ID 70595
• Emergency Snowplow Operators (various locations): Job ID 69155
• Transportation Generalist/Associate (various locations): Job ID 70688

Some of our best hires have come from employee referrals and you can earn an incentive for a hired referral. 

You can share these instructions with others on how to apply: Visit mn.gov/careers -> Click on the “Search for jobs now” in External Applicants -> Register as “new user” to create profile and job search agent -> Apply for positions

Don’t veer for deer! The best way to avoid a deer-vehicle crash is to stay attentive behind the wheel and limit distractions.

The average reaction time for human beings is about one second from the time you see the hazard until you get your foot on the brake, according to the Office of Traffic Safety.

• At 40 mph, you travel 59 feet before your foot even hits the brake – add stopping distance and you have traveled 118 feet.
• At 60 mph, you touch the brake at 180 feet and have total stopping distance of 240 feet.
• At 80 mph it takes 394 feet to stop – longer than the length of a football field.

Long story short - for every 10 mph of increased speed, the risk of dying in a crash doubles. So if you decide to drive 80 mph instead of 60 mph, your risk of being involved in a fatal crash increases 4 times.

Tips to Avoid Deer Crashes:

• Drive at safe speeds and always buckle up.
• Be especially cautious from 6-9 p.m., when deer are most active.
• Use high beams as much as possible at night, especially in deer-active areas.
• Never swerve to avoid a deer. Swerving can cause motorists to lose control and travel off the road or into oncoming traffic.
• Watch for the reflection of deer eyes and for deer silhouettes on the shoulder of the road. If anything looks slightly suspicious, slow down.
• Slow down in areas known to have a large deer population, such as areas where roads divide agricultural fields from forest land; and whenever in forested areas between dusk and dawn.
• Deer do unpredictable things — they stop in the middle of the road when crossing; cross and quickly re-cross back; and move toward an approaching vehicle. 

Drive smart by expecting the unexpected, and remember that a seat belt is the best defense in case of a crash

Below you will find all the TZD Tuesday messages that were sent out the last few weeks. Share these with your family, friends and neighbors – and remind them that their seat belt is their best defense in case of a crash. Together, we can drive Minnesota toward zero deaths! 

Halloween Safety | Time to "Fall" Back | Crash Responder Safety Week | Holiday DWI Enforcement