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Worker Safety

As our highway infrastructure ages, many transportation agencies are focusing on rebuilding and improving existing roadways. This means more roadwork is being performed on roadways that are open to traffic. At the same time, traffic continues to grow and create more congestion, particularly in urban areas. To avoid major queues during peak travel periods, urban areas are seeing more night work. The combination of more work done alongside increasingly heavier traffic and greater use of night work can result in increased safety considerations for highway workers. However, there are regulations and available resources on good practices that can help workers perform their jobs safely.

• Worker Visibility
• Temporary Traffic Control
• Worker Safety for Highway Construction Standard
• Training
• Facts and Statistics
• National Work Zone Awareness Week
• Additional Resources

Worker Visibility

• MUTCD Part 6 Section 6D.03 - Requires the use of high-visibility safety apparel by workers who are working within the rights-of-way of Federal-aid highways.
• High Visibility Standard - Provides a guide for the design, performance specifications, and use of high-visibility and reflective apparel including vests, jackets, bib/jumpsuit coveralls, trousers and harnesses.
• NIOSH Construction Equipment Visibility Webpage - Discusses the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health's (NIOSH) efforts to reduce the number of workers struck by road construction equipment.
• "Know the Blind Spots" Poster - Illustrates hazards near construction vehicles, which can help workers avoid runovers/backovers, the leading cause of fatalities for workers in work zones.
• Preventing Backovers - Resources to help prevent runovers and backovers.
• Recordings and Presentations from September 4, 2008 Webinar on High Visibility Garments Regulation
• Increasing the Work Zone Worker's Visibility Through High-Visibility Safety Apparel Fact Sheet
• High Visibility Apparel in Work Zones Pocket Guide (PDF 2.7MB)
• High-Visibility Safety Apparel in Highway Work Zones Brochure (PDF 1.6MB)

Temporary Traffic Control

• "Know Flagging" Poster - Illustrates six procedures for safe flagging in work zones.
• "Know the Signs" Poster - Illustrates the various work zone safety signs that drivers may encounter.
• Field Guide on Installation and Removal of Temporary Traffic Control (TTC) for Safe Maintenance and Work Zone Operations (PDF 845) - Provides field personnel with introductory guidance on proper setup and operation of TTC zones, which improves the safety of those working near traffic.
• Work Zone Safety: Temporary Traffic Control for Maintenance Operations (PDF 283KB) - Provides seven fundamental principles for setting up TTC Zones to protect workers and incident responders and allow for the safe and efficient movement of road users.
• Work Zone Positive Protection Toolbox (PDF 961KB) - Describes various types of positive protection devices and provides guidance on where and how each is typically used. These devices may be used to help protect road users from entering hazardous areas in work zones and to shield workers and pedestrians.
• Field Guide for the Use and Placement of Shadow Vehicles in Work Zones - Provides guidelines on the use of shadow vehicles and Truck Mounted Attenuators (TMAs) in highway work zones.

Worker Safety for Highway Construction Standard

ANSI/ASSE A10.47-2009: Work Zone Safety for Highway Construction became effective on February 24, 2010 and applies to workers engaged in construction, utility work, maintenance, or repair activities on any area of a highway. It covers practices including Flagger Safety, Runover/Backover Prevention, Equipment Operator Safety, Illumination, Personal Protective Equipment, and more.

• Purchase ANSI/ASSE A10.47-2009 from the American Society of Safety Engineers
• National Work Zone Safety Clearinghouse Webinar Recording and Presentation

Training

• Work Zone Safety Grants - Training and guidelines to assist with improving highway work zone safety.
• Flagger Training and Certification Requirements - Information on flagger training and certification requirements by state.
• Roadway Safety Awareness Program - An overview of common hazards in roadway construction and simple prevention measures.
• Worker Safety Training - A section of the Work Zone Training Compendium that features information on available worker safety-related training and guides.

Facts and Statistics

The following facts and statistics were obtained using data from a presentation on Injury Hazards in Road and Bridge Construction (PDF 12.4MB) (the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety), Fatal Occupational Injuries at Road Construction Sites (PDF 43KB) (Stephen Pegula, 2004) and Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (PDF 26KB) (U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2003-2009), unless otherwise noted.

• Each year over 20,000 workers are injured in road construction work zones. Between 2003-2008, these injuries were caused by:
  • Contact with objects or equipment (35 percent)
  • Slips, trips, or falls (20 percent)
  • Overexertion (15 percent)
  • Transportation incidents (12 percent)
  • Exposure to harmful substances or environments (5 percent).
• Workplace fatalities that occur at a road construction site typically account for 1.5 percent to 2 percent of all workplace fatalities annually.
• Roadway construction worker fatalities reached a high point in 2005 with 165 fatalities. Between 2005 and 2008 the numbers declined, but then rose slightly in 2009.
  • There were 116 worker fatalities in 2009. This is a 15 percent increase from 2008 (101 fatalities), a 9 percent increase from 2007 (106 fatalities), a 17 percent decrease from 2006 (139 fatalities), and a 30 percent decrease from 2005 (165 fatalities).
• Runovers/Backovers: The majority (approximately half) of worker fatalities are caused by workers struck by vehicles or mobile equipment. According to data in ROADWAY SAFETY+: A Road Construction Industry Consortium Program, in recent years more than half of these were by construction vehicles and equipment (especially dump trucks).
  • In 2009 runovers/backovers were the cause of 46 percent of worker fatalities.
  • Between 2005 and 2008 runovers/backovers were the cause of an average of 49 percent of worker fatalities.
• Caught in Between or Struck by Object: The second most common cause of worker fatalities are workers caught between or struck by construction equipment and objects.
  • In 2009 this was the cause of 16 percent of worker fatalities.
  • Between 2005 and 2008 this was the cause of an average of 14 percent of worker fatalities.
• Vehicle Collisions: The third most common cause of worker fatalities are collisions between vehicles/mobile equipment.
  • In 2009 this was the cause of 16 percent of worker fatalities.
  • Between 2005 and 2008 this was the cause of an average of 13 percent of worker fatalities each year.

Additional Resources

• Use of Exposure Control Measures - Summarizes the various types of exposure control measures and discusses how each can improve the safety of workers and motorists in work zones.
• National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse - Promotes safety for workers, motorists, and facility owners and operators in roadway construction work zones.
• Colorado Work Zones Best Practices Safety Guide - Contains information and tools needed to enhance compliance with industry best practices.
• Worker Safety at the Colorado Department of Transportation - Results of a study investigating approaches to reduce the frequency and severity of work-related injuries.
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Highway Work Zone Safety - Includes information on worker safety research funded by NIOSH, work zones fatality reports, and construction equipment visibility.
• Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) Highway Work Zones and Signs, Signals, and Barricades - Includes links to a number of worker safety resources.
• Data on Fatal Occupational Injuries in Work Zones - Includes data and information on fatal occupational injuries at road construction sites.
• Presentations and Videos from Traffic Management & Work Zone Safety Power Workshop - Addresses injury and health hazards in road and bridge construction, safety benefits from accelerated bridge construction, preventing falls, and safety during night work.
• Construction Project Administration and Management for Mitigating Work Zone Crashes and Fatalities: An Integrated Risk Management Model (PDF 1.4MB) - Examines ways to mitigate the risk of highway accidents and fatalities in work zones by focusing on the interaction of the traveling public, workers, and work zone conditions. The report presents a formal risk management model, which takes the form of a 6-step process that can be used to identify, assess, and respond to risks across all stages of the project life-cycle of any highway construction project and includes mitigation strategies that can help increase worker safety during the contraction phase.
• Basic Spanish for Safety and Emergencies - This brochure provides Spanish translation of basic words and phrases that might be used in an emergency or safety situation.

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