The OPPBTP is launching a national campaign to raise awareness among construction companies about the risk of collisions between vehicles and pedestrians.

This campaign, which will be deployed from January 15 to March 14, 2026, aims to raise awareness of this major risk and to mobilize all stakeholders on the construction site (employers, supervisors, workers and project owners) around a common goal: to sustainably reduce serious and fatal accidents.

The construction industry, a sector particularly exposed to the risk of vehicle-pedestrian collisions

Mechanization allows construction sites to become more efficient and facilitates the work of construction workers. However, construction equipment also represents a major source of risk when pedestrians are nearby. Indeed, insufficient traffic flow management, blind spots, or lapses in vigilance by drivers or pedestrians can lead to dramatic consequences on construction sites.

Each year, between 10 and 20 serious or fatal accidents are recorded in the construction sector in France. They are distinguished by their high severity, since half of the recorded accidents are fatal.

Public works account for approximately 70% of these accidents, compared to 30% for construction. All sizes of companies are affected: 40% of accidents occur in companies with more than 500 employees, 35% in companies with 20 to 499 employees, and 25% in companies with fewer than 20 employees.

A perception survey to better understand behaviors

In order to better understand how professionals perceive the risk of vehicle-pedestrian collisions, the OPPBTP conducted a nationwide perception survey throughout the month of September.

Carried out in partnership with the Occupational Health and Safety Services (SPST), with the support of professional organizations, it collected 3.661 responses, covering the entire territory and representing a wide variety of functions and companies in Public Works as well as a panel of Building companies.

Respondents report a high level of exposure to risk:

• 47% report working near machinery every day, and 21% several times a week. They most often work with light vehicles (69% of respondents), but also with heavy goods vehicles (42%), mini-excavators of 6T or less (34%), excavators over 6T (32%) and construction forklifts (30%).

Furthermore, 14% of the professionals surveyed reported having already experienced a collision, directly or indirectly, confirming the presence of risk on construction sites. Among them:

• 65% report that a colleague has already been a victim.
• 29% have already been witnesses.

When asked about the perceived causes, respondents predominantly identified:

• driver inattention (69%),
• inattention of the companion on the ground (59%),
• and the organization of the construction site (46%).

This tendency to attribute the accident to a lack of vigilance illustrates the predominant place given to individual responsibility.

Finally, while 85% of respondents declared themselves to be "fairly well" or "very well" informed about the risk of collision, the survey reveals a significant gap between this perception and the reality of practices:

• Among the 57% of respondents who provide training and awareness-raising:
  • 40% have no discussions on the subject.
  • 28% mention CACES.
  • 17% mention short and regular meetings,
  • 8% organize practical workshops with hands-on experience using the machine.

These results reflect a clear phenomenon: the risk is known, but insufficiently taken into account in daily practices. They fully justify the implementation of a national campaign, whose objective is precisely to permanently establish awareness, strengthen the vigilance of stakeholders, and promote concrete, visible, and shared actions across all construction sites.

A groundbreaking national campaign focused on raising awareness of the risk of vehicle-pedestrian collisions

Also, for the first time, the OPPBTP is deploying a national campaign specifically dedicated to this risk. Organised from 15 January to 14 March 2026, it is supported by the professional and trade union organisations of the building and public works sectors (FNTP, FFB, CAPEB, CNATP, FN SCOP BTP, CFDT, CFE-CGC, CFTC, CGT, CGT-FO), the Directorate General for Labour, the Health Insurance and the SPSTs.

This campaign, the seventh and final one of OPPBTP's @H2025 strategic plan, builds on actions already undertaken by the organization, particularly through the Stop Collision project, which aims to integrate automatic emergency braking systems into construction equipment. Complementing the work on technical solutions, this new campaign places particular emphasis on the human factor: awareness, vigilance, and the organization of traffic flow on the construction site.

It aims for three objectives:

• Raise awareness of the risk of collision between vehicles and pedestrians;
• Raising awareness among all stakeholders in the chain, from the tradesperson to the project owner;
• Promote good organizational, technical and human practices.

A powerful communication campaign: “The construction site is not a crash test”

The creative concept for the communication campaign emerged from a collaborative effort involving OPPBTP staff, companies, professional organizations, and project owners. The chosen concept draws inspiration from the world of crash testing, for its ability to engage professionals and raise awareness without causing offense.

By using mannequins from car tests, he illustrates the serious consequences that a moment of inattention or poor organization can have.

This powerful metaphor conveys a simple idea: the construction site is not a place for experimentation, but a space where every action counts.

The campaign is based on a clear and easily memorable tagline, tested in the field: "The construction site is not a crash test." Highly praised by the professionals surveyed, this phrase encapsulates the entire purpose of prevention: to remind everyone that safety should never be put to the test.

Deployed across numerous media — posters, videos, digital media, promotional kits for partners — the campaign combines visual impact, simplicity of message and controlled emotion to raise awareness among all stakeholders in the sector.

A strengthened information and awareness campaign

In parallel, OPPBTP is providing companies with new practical tools to strengthen the prevention culture surrounding this risk. To enrich the content already available on preventionbtp.fr, which includes site solutions, Prevention & Performance case studies, videos, memos, posters, and D-Clic training modules, the organization has developed:

• A quarter-hour e-learning module on security;
• A guide to best practices developed with companies in the sector;
• Three national webinars: two “awareness-raising” (Building and Public Works), one “Taking preventive action”;
• A webinar dedicated to project management;
• A new training course dedicated to the risk of vehicle-pedestrian collisions.

Directly usable by companies of all sizes, these resources aim to facilitate action on the ground, strengthen team skills and disseminate proven practices to effectively reduce the risk of vehicle-pedestrian collisions.

A mobilizing field action

From January 15 to March 14, 2025, the OPPBTP (French Professional Organization for Prevention in the Construction and Public Works Sector) invites all companies in the sector to independently lead a 15-minute safety briefing to raise awareness among their teams about this major risk and to reinforce best practices for preventing it. To participate in this challenge, simply visit www.heurtenginpieton.fr and launch a dedicated video, allowing you to raise awareness by engaging with your site teams. After the briefing, an online form allows you to report the number of employees who participated and download an official certificate of participation. A national counter, available on the website, will track company participation in real time.

Companies will then be able to share a photo of their 1/4 hour safety action on LinkedIn, Facebook and TikTok with the hashtag #HEP2026 to highlight their commitment and encourage the mobilization of the profession.

Alongside this challenge, numerous events and information sessions will be held throughout France on the risk of vehicle-pedestrian collisions, based on 5 interactive modules covering the following themes:

• On-site blind spot workshop
• Gestures and maneuvers
• Accidentology
• Causes
• Prevention solutions

Furthermore, regional awareness events will be organized throughout the campaign. The format may vary from region to region, but the objective will always remain the same: to bring together business leaders, supervisors, and workers to discuss the prevention of pedestrian-vehicle collisions and to promote best practices identified in the field. These events may take the form of practical workshops, with the participation of manufacturers of equipment or driver assistance systems, or include feedback and demonstrations related to blind spots, maneuvers, or traffic flow management. To this end, the OPPBTP (French Professional Organization for Prevention in the Construction and Public Works Sector) will provide a wide range of training materials (blind spot workshops, accident analyses, tools on risks and their causes, maneuvering techniques, best practices, etc.) and may lead several workshops alongside the SPSTs (Occupational Health and Safety Services), who are also heavily involved in this campaign.

For Paul Duphil, Secretary General of the OPPBTP: “The risk of collisions between vehicles and pedestrians remains one of the top priorities on our construction sites. It is sometimes taken for granted, when in fact it requires constant vigilance. With this campaign, we want to raise awareness and emphasize that site organization, traffic flow coordination, and the ability to anticipate are essential levers. It complements the work already undertaken with the industry on technical solutions, such as Stop Collision, to address human factors, organization, and technology simultaneously.”