OSHA Recommendations to Prevent Work Zone Accidents

OSHA created a Work Zone Traffic QuickCard™ with recommendations on how to make work zones safer for  on-foot workers, heavy-equipment operators and work vehicle drivers.

Here are the recommendations:

• Instruction: Traffic control devices, signals, and message boards should be used to instruct drivers to follow paths away from where work is being done.
• Protection Inside the Work Zone: Approved traffic control devices, including cones, barrels, barricades and delineator posts should be  used inside work zones to direct equipment operators and vehicle drivers.
• Protection Outside the Work Zone: Various concrete, water, sand, collapsible barriers, crash cushions, and truck-mounted attenuators can help limit motorist intrusions into construction work zones.
• Flagging: Flaggers should wear high visibility clothing with a fluorescent background and made of retro-reflective material. This makes employees visible for at least 1,000 feet in any direction. Check the label or packaging to ensure that the garments are performance class 2 or 3. Drivers should be warned with signs that there will be flaggers ahead. Flaggers should use STOP/SLOW paddles, paddles with lights, or flags.
• Lighting: Flagger stations should be illuminated. Lighting for employees on foot and for equipment operators should be at least 5 foot-candles or greater. Where available lighting is not sufficient, flares or chemical lighting should be used. Glare should be controlled or eliminated.
• Training: Flaggers must be trained/certified and use authorized signaling methods.
• Seat Belts: Seat belts and rollover protection should be used on equipment and vehicles as the manufacturer recommendations.

Click here for a PDF of the OSHA Quick Card.

Seton offers a large array of work zone safety equipment including traffic cones, traffic paddles and barriers to improve your work zone safety.

Source:  osha.gov