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CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. The North American Association of Transportation Safety and Health Officials was honored to welcome Federal Highway Administration Administrator Sean McMaster to the 2026 NAATSHO Annual Conference in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for a featured fireside chat focused on the safety, health, and protection of the state transportation workforce.

Administrator McMaster joined NAATSHO members and transportation leaders from across the country for a candid discussion about the challenges facing state DOT employees and the opportunities available through stronger federal-state collaboration.

The conversation placed a deliberate focus on a group that is essential to the nation’s transportation system: the employees who build, maintain, inspect, operate, and respond to incidents on America’s roadways.

Throughout the discussion, Administrator McMaster and NAATSHO explored how FHWA, state DOTs, AASHTO, and NAATSHO can continue building upon the recent momentum surrounding transportation employee safety.

Topics included strengthening the federal-state partnership on state DOT employee safety, improving access to resources for occupational safety initiatives, sustaining national attention on the safety and well-being of transportation employees, and examining how transportation workers who routinely respond to emergencies alongside law enforcement, fire, EMS, and other public safety personnel are recognized and protected.

A central theme of the fireside chat was the importance of translating national policy and leadership priorities into meaningful improvements for employees working in the field.

Administrator McMaster turned the conversation back to NAATSHO by asking what form of federal support could have the greatest impact today so that, five years from now, the transportation community could point to transformative progress in work zone safety.

NAATSHO identified several opportunities for continued collaboration.

The organization recognized the value of being included in national efforts such as the U.S. Department of Transportation Roadway Safety Innovation Expo, where transportation safety professionals can gain exposure to emerging technologies and practices with the potential to better protect employees.

NAATSHO also highlighted the need to explore greater federal support for state DOT occupational safety initiatives. State transportation employees work within the same roadway environment that agencies are collectively striving to make safer for motorists, and the discussion identified federal programs such as the Highway Safety Improvement Program and State Planning and Research funding as areas where additional opportunities for occupational safety investment could have meaningful impact.

Most importantly, NAATSHO encouraged continued development of the relationship between FHWA and the association.

NAATSHO’s membership provides a national network of transportation safety and health professionals who work directly with employee hazards, serious injury prevention, work zone risks, training, occupational health, emergency response, and other workforce safety challenges every day. Strengthening that connection creates an opportunity to identify common challenges, elevate effective practices, share innovative solutions, and help successful strategies move more efficiently between states.

The fireside chat also reinforced the importance of maintaining the momentum that has developed around transportation worker safety.

State DOT employees perform critical public-service functions in environments that can include live traffic, heavy equipment, roadway construction, severe weather, emergency incidents, and other significant occupational hazards. Protecting these employees requires continued leadership, strong safety cultures, reliable data, innovative technology, research, training, and collaboration across organizational boundaries.

NAATSHO believes that employee safety should remain an integral part of the broader national transportation safety conversation.

The association is encouraged by the growing collaboration among FHWA, AASHTO, state DOTs, NAATSHO, and the transportation research community. Continued work through initiatives such as NCHRP research, national safety programs, peer exchange, and federal-state partnerships provides an opportunity to better understand serious injuries and fatalities and turn that knowledge into prevention.

Administrator McMaster’s participation in the conference represented an important opportunity for the professionals responsible for state DOT occupational safety to engage directly with FHWA leadership on those challenges and opportunities.

NAATSHO extends its sincere appreciation to Administrator McMaster and the Federal Highway Administration team for participating in the 2026 Annual Conference and for their engagement with the association’s membership.

The conversation in Chattanooga was not intended to be the end of a discussion, but an opportunity to strengthen a relationship.

NAATSHO looks forward to continuing its collaboration with FHWA, AASHTO, state DOT leadership, and transportation partners across the country to address shared challenges, advance effective practices, support innovation, and elevate the safety and health of the transportation workforce.