Companion Guide to Video August 2012

www.fhwa.dot.gov/federal-aidessentials

Highly congested roadways, coupled with muchneeded construction and repair, can mean 

greater safety risks in work zones. This is 

especially true for those working around traffic 

and heavy equipment at the job site. Studies 

show that more than 20,000 workers are killed 

or injured each year in road construction zones. 

Local public agencies, or LPAs, 

have an obligation to manage 

project safety for all workers on 

Federal-aid projects. 

This includes your employees, consultants you 

may hire, employees of the contractor, and even 

those from third parties, such as police and

emergency services. While contractors and third 

parties retain responsibility for their own actions 

and employees, you must direct them to adhere 

to the worker safety requirements stipulated in 

Federal-aid contracts. The requirements come 

from Federal laws overseen by the Occupational 

Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, and 

the Federal Highway Administration, or FHWA. 

You must follow safety regulations and institute 

good practices designed to prevent workers 

from becoming part of these statistics. 

Let’s start by looking at the safety requirements 

for your employees. OSHA requires all 

employers to provide a workplace free from 

recognized hazards, and to maintain programs 

that help employees be safe. Because of the 

high safety risks associated with construction 

activities, OSHA has special regulations for 

construction work. 

With regard to employee programs and 

proactive safety, training is essential and 

generally a good investment because, as the 

saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a 

pound of cure.” OSHA has standards for training 

employees related to the safety and health 

aspects of their jobs. This training is especially 

important for work in a construction area.

Basic safety training for employees who work on 

or visit a construction site should include topics 

such as identifying the hazards employees will 

encounter on the job, use and care of personal 

protective equipment, and best practices to 

prevent injury.

As the employer, train your workers to 

recognize, document, and report to their 

supervisors when they feel they have 

Project Construction and Contract Administration

Safety and Operations

Job Site Worker Safety

Agencies have an obligation to manage safety for all workers 

on Federal-aid projects
Federal-aid Essentials for Local Public Agencies

encountered unsafe working conditions while in 

the construction work zone. Your employees 

must be able to safely access and exit the 

construction work zone when making 

inspections of the contractor’s work. An LPA 

inspector should not feel pressured to make an 

inspection where unsafe working conditions 

exist.

Sometimes specialized training is necessary 

because OSHA standards require employers to 

limit certain job assignments to employees who 

are “certified,” “competent,” or “qualified.” This 

means that the employees have had special 

training, in or outside the workplace, and are 

competent and qualified to perform specific 

duties. 

In addition to training, the LPA is 

responsible to provide the 

personal protective equipment 

their employees are required to 

wear.

For example, roadside workers are required to 

wear high-visibility safety apparel when work 

activities expose them to moving vehicles. 

Employees have responsibilities, too. They must 

know and adhere to safety requirements and 

perform their duties safely while working on a 

Federal-aid project. Employees must stay alert, 

use common sense and demonstrate proactive 

safety practices while working in a construction 

zone.

What are the safety requirements for your 

contractors’ employees? Contractors, as 

employers, share the same responsibilities as 

you do in providing a safe workplace, training 

and personal protective equipment for their 

employees. Contractors on a Federal-aid project 

are contractually obligated to meet OSHA safety 

requirements, which are included by reference in 

the Form FHWA-1273, a part of every Federalaid construction contract. 

Contractors are also required to display the 

OSHA 3165 poster on the project bulletin board 

for their employees. This poster provides 

information to employees on worker safety and 

their right to a safe work place.

Finally, one of your responsibilities as the project 

owner is to verify that the contractors meet 

contractual safety requirements for the workers 

at the job site. The LPA fulfills this responsibility 

by making field inspections throughout the life of 

the project. 

An LPA should perform worker 

safety inspections as part of its 

overall work zone inspection 

process.

Some of the specific conditions to look for 

regarding worker safety are:

• Have the safety devices been placed 

appropriately to protect the workers in 

the work zone?

• Are all workers wearing correct personal 

protective equipment?

• Are only properly trained and qualified 

employees performing designated jobs?

• Do the workers meet specific training 

qualifications for their roles, such as for 

flaggers, law enforcement, or as 

“competent persons?”

• If the work is performed at night, is there 

adequate lighting? Are the workers 

wearing the proper reflective personal 

protective equipment?
Federal-aid Essentials for Local Public Agencies

Check with the State department of 

transportation, or State DOT, the State 

department of labor, and OSHA for a more 

comprehensive checklist to use in inspecting 

construction zone safety. 

Document any deficiencies found during the 

inspection to share with the contractor. You may 

want to take pictures to include with your 

documentation about the conditions at the time 

of the inspection. Whatever method is chosen to 

conduct the inspection, keep a written record, 

including the date and time of the inspection. 

Discuss the deficiencies with the contractor and 

agree on a time table for correction. Then, 

follow-up with the contractor to ensure the 

deficiencies are corrected. 

Implementing and enforcing safe worker 

practices and safe working conditions in the 

construction work zone contribute to the ultimate 

success of the project. Federal-aid safety 

requirements help LPAs ensure these practices 

and conditions exist, so in the end, each worker 

can go home safe and sound each night. 
Federal-aid Essentials for Local Public Agencies

The content of this 

document is not a 

substitute for 

information obtained 

from State departments 

of transportation, 

appropriate FHWA 

Division Offices, and 

applicable laws. 

Scenarios have been 

simplified for emphasis 

and do not necessarily 

reflect the actual range of 

requirements applicable 

to the scenario or this 

topic. This document

was created under 

contract number

DTFH63-12-F-00025 by 

the Federal Highway 

Administration, U.S. 

Department of 

Transportation, and is 

offered to the public to 

heighten and focus 

awareness of Federal-aid 

requirements within the 

local public agencies 

community and 

reinforces the 

importance of these 

necessary policies, 

procedures, and 

practices.

This companion resource 

is the script content for 

the video production of 

the same name. 

Web Resources

• Link to OSHA regulations for construction 

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi/t/text/textidx?c=ecfr&sid=1c2d9fd427a828f844ba7ea41073753a&tpl=/ecfrbrows

e/Title29/29cfr1926_main_02.tpl

• FHWA regulations for wok zone safety and mobility, including 

requirements for worker training 

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi/t/text/textidx?c=ecfr&sid=290fc6120445390597f08cbae47b02d8&rgn=div6&view

=text&node=23:1.0.1.7.21.9&idno=23

 

• Link to major OSHA construction requirements and guidance to 

prevent workplace injuries and illnesses

http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/compliance_assistance/quickstarts/constru

ction/index_construction.html

• FHWA regulations, guidance and information covering worker safety

http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/workersafety/index.htm

• Link to the MUTCD, including the section on safety apparel 

requirements

http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/

• Information on Worker Safety for Highway Construction Standard

http://www.workzonesafety.org/training/record/10234