BROTHERTOWN, Wis. — In the few minutes Chris Hahn has to wait while the back of his dump truck is filled with dirt and grass, he talks about the inherent dangers of his job.

Hahn is a highway maintenance worker with the Calumet County Highway Department.

“There are a lot of close calls. It goes in streaks depending on the volume of traffic,” he said. “You’ve got to have your head on a swivel out there.”

As road construction season picks up around Wisconsin, highway and law enforcement officials are urging people to take it easy in work zones and pay attention to what’s going on around them.

All things Hahn said, he sees on a frequent basis.

“We have a lot of problems with people not paying attention, being on a cellphone, driving fast through work zones,” he said.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation said on average there are almost 2,500 work zone crashes each year in the state.

In the past five years, that’s left 62 people dead, and another 4,780 injured, according to the department.

Calumet County Highway Superintendent Chad Scheinoha said drivers can do a few things when approaching road workers to make sure his co-workers get home safely each night.

“Slow down, pay attention and please don’t be on your phone while driving,” he said. “Especially texting.”

The safety of his crews is something Scheinoha takes personally.

“I lose sleep at night sometimes over this stuff. I’ve got crews once in a while doing night work and my phone sets right on my nightstand right next to my bed. Anytime that thing rings, I answer it,” he said. “A lot of times I’ll wake up every couple of hours if my guys are out there at night and think, ‘Gosh, I hope it’s going okay.’”

Calumet County Highway Commissioner Brian Glaeser was at the helm of the department in 2016 when worker Derrick Burkhalter was killed on the job.

“I’ve seen a number of highway commissioners go through this since then and every time I hear one, I always reach out to them and tell them we’re thinking of them because ultimately, some of that stuff is out of our control,” he said.

Out on the road, Hahn said he and his coworkers are doing their job while focused on keeping things moving smoothly around the county and state.

“When you see flashing lights and signs, make sure you slow down a little bit. We all want to go home at night,” he said. “We’re just doing our jobs like everybody else.”