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Fallen Worker decals
for ITD equipment represent
next step of recognition and remembrance

ITD recently took another step toward greater statewide recognition of department workers who died on the job, with a new decal (pictured below right) to be distributed to each district and division. The decals can be stuck to the back of construction hard hats and to the bumper and side door panels of ITD vehicles and equipment as a visual reminder of the sacrifices made by those who walked these paths before us.

The Fallen Worker memorial was unveiled in the ITD Headquarters lobby Feb. 1, 2019, so this is an effort to extend the recognition and remembrance beyond the lobby to the workplaces statewide where our Fallen Workers last trod.

DJ Price of District 4 expressed an interest in adding an item in November 2019 and Neal Murphy came up with the idea of a decal/sticker. Jared Tuttle helped create the image. The Senior Safety Team and Senior Leadership Team then approved it, and a supply of stickers will be sent to each district shortly.

“The Fallen Worker Memorial is a great tribute, and this idea gives a way for us to bring that spirit of employee recognition/remembrance from Headquarters in Boise to the districts,” said Price. “I thought it would be a good thing to have something to remember our co-workers by and to show them we still remember them and appreciate their service.”

“If you work here for any length of time, you will know someone who has passed while working alongside them; I have worked with several,” he added.

The decals serve a special purpose beyond recognizing and showing appreciation for the sacrifices of those who came before us at ITD — they will hopefully also serve as a current safety reminder for employees to be careful every day and every time.

Shirley Wentland, who proposed the Fallen Worker Memorial, said “I hope that when we see the decals on hats and bumpers that we reflect on those who gave so much and remember not to take our co-workers, friends, and family for granted.”