NEW JERSEY — The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development has completed a statewide safety initiative that reached more than 5,300 school crossing guards following a series of fatal and serious incidents involving crossing guards across the state.
The department said its Office of Public Employees’ Occupational Safety and Health visited 490 municipalities in all 21 counties, providing safety information and resources to 5,327 crossing guards and their employers.
“The tragic loss of crossing guards who went to work each day to keep our children safe demanded immediate action,” said Acting Labor Commissioner Kevin D. Jarvis. “While we cannot undo the tragedies that have occurred, we can honor their memory by ensuring every crossing guard in the state is provided the protection and support needed to do this important work safely.”
The initiative began in early 2025 as a Local Emphasis Program targeting crossing guard safety. The program focused on law enforcement agencies and boards of education that employ adult school crossing guards, with enforcement staff conducting inspections alongside routine workplace safety investigations and responding to complaints, accidents, fatalities and whistleblower cases.
Following another fatal crossing guard incident, the department expanded the effort into an emergency statewide sweep in May, deploying nine compliance officers to visit every remaining municipality before the end of the 2025-26 school year.
“Our PEOSH team has done exceptional work responding to a clear safety issue and mobilizing quickly to reach hundreds of municipalities across the state in a matter of weeks,” said Justin Baker, assistant commissioner of the Department of Labor’s Division of Public Safety and Occupational Safety and Health. “Moving forward, we’ll continue building on these relationships to keep crossing guard safety a top priority.”
As part of the initiative, compliance officers visited 490 municipalities, reached 5,327 crossing guards with safety information and referred nine municipalities using private contractors to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which oversees private-sector employers.
The department also conducted two educational webinars for crossing guards covering workplace safety, workers’ compensation, wage and hour laws, and unemployment insurance. In April, it launched a statewide billboard campaign reminding motorists to drive safely and remain alert, particularly in school zones.
According to the department, the initiative supports Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s commitment to workplace safety and the New Jersey Target Zero Commission’s goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries statewide by 2040.
