posts that will be used as part of the traffic

control plan. These standard devices should

also be used inside the work zone.

Work Zone Protections

Various styles of concrete, water, sand, collapsible barriers, crash cushions, and truckmounted attenuators are available to limit

motorist intrusions into the construction

work zone.

Flagging

Flaggers and others providing temporary

traffic control should wear high visibility

clothing with a background of fluorescent

orange-red or yellow-green and retroreflective material of orange, yellow, white, silver,

or yellow-green. In areas of traffic movement, this personal protective equipment

will make the worker visible for at least

1,000 feet, so that the worker can be seen

from any direction, and make the worker

stand out from the background. Check the

label or packaging to ensure that the garments are performance class 2 or 3. 

Drivers should be warned in advance with

signs that there will be a flagger ahead.

Flaggers should use STOP/SLOW paddles,

paddles with lights, or flags (flags should be

used only in emergencies.) The STOP sign

should be octagonal with a red background

and white letters and border. The SLOW

sign is the same shape, with an orange

background and black letters and a border.

General

There must be a traffic control plan for the

movement of vehicles in areas where there

are also workers conducting other tasks.

Drivers, workers on foot, and pedestrians

must be able to see and understand the

routes they are to follow. The authority in

charge, Federal, state, or local, will determine

the configuration of the temporary traffic control zone for motorists and pedestrians. The

construction project manager will determine

the internal traffic control plan within the construction/demolition worksite. When there

are several projects, coordinated vehicle

routes and communication between contractors will reduce vehicular struck-by incidents.

Signs

Standard highway signs for information,

speed limits, and work zones will assist drivers in identifying, in designated traffic paths,

such directives as: EVACUATION ROUTE; DO

NOT ENTER; REDUCED SPEED AHEAD;

ROAD CLOSED; and NO OUTLET. Using standard highway signs for internal construction

worksite traffic control will assist workers in

recognizing the route they are to use at the

construction site.

Traffic Control Devices

Standard traffic control devices, signals, and

message boards will instruct drivers to follow

a path away from where work is being done.

The authority in charge will determine the

approved traffic control devices such as

cones, barrels, barricades, and delineator

FactSheet

Work Zone Traffic Safety

Transportation incidents and workers struck by vehicles or mobile equipment

account for the highest number of fatal work injuries, according to the Bureau of

Labor Statistics. Workers such as emergency responders, clean-up, utility, demolition, construction, and others in areas where there are moving vehicles and traffic are exposed to being struck-by moving vehicles. Work zones are used to move

traffic in an approved direction and are typically identified by signs, cones, barrels, and barriers.
Lighting

Flagger stations should be illuminated.

Lighting for workers on foot and equipment

operators is to be at least 5 foot-candles or

greater. Where available lighting is not sufficient, flares or chemical lighting should be

used. Glare affecting workers and motorists

should be controlled or eliminated.

Training

Flaggers should be trained/certified and use

the signaling methods required by the

authority in charge. Workers on foot, equipment operators, and drivers in internal work

zones need to know the routes that construcThis is one in a series of informational fact sheets highlighting OSHA programs, policies or 

standards. It does not impose any new compliance requirements. For a comprehensive list of 

compliance requirements of OSHA standards or regulations, refer to Title 29 of the Code of Federal

Regulations. This information will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request.

The voice phone is (202) 693-1999; teletypewriter (TTY) number: (877) 889-5627.

tion vehicles will use. Equipment operators

and signal persons need to know the hand

signals used on the worksite. Operators and

workers on foot need to know the visibility

limits and the “blind spots” for each vehicle

on site. Workers on foot should wear high

visibility safety garments designated as class

1, 2, or 3. Workers should be made aware of

the ways in which shiftwork and nightwork

may affect their performance.

Driving

Seat belts and rollover protection should be

used on equipment and vehicles as stated by

the manufacturer.

U.S. Department of Labor

www.osha.gov

(800) 321-OSHA

For more complete information:

DOC 9/2005