Highway Work Zones and Signs, Signals, and Barricades
Highway, road, street, bridge, tunnel, utility, and other workers for the highway infrastructure are exposed to hazards from outside and inside the work zone. Falls, electrical, struck-by, and caught between are the common hazards found in this type of work. Guidance for the set-up of work zone signs, barricades, flagging, etc. are found in the Department of Transportation's "Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)." The MUTCD is referenced in 1926 Subpart G.
- Federal Highway Administration. US Department of Transporatoin (DOT) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Contains links to their statistics and related information.
- Highway Work Zone Safety. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Workplace Safety & Health Topics. Provides resources for workers in highway construction work zones that are exposed to risk of injury from the movement of construction vehicles and equipment within the work zones, as well as from passing motor vehicle traffic.
- Building Safer Highway Work Zones: Measures to Prevent Worker Injuries From Vehicles and Equipment. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication. No. 2001-128, (2001, April). Presents a list of interventions discussed during a workshop with over 30 industry participants. It is available at no charge by calling NIOSH at toll-free 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674).
How can OSHA Help?
OSHA has developed this webpage to provide workers and employers useful, up-to-date information on Highway Work Zones and Signs, Signals, and Barricades. For other valuable worker protection information, such as Workers' Rights, Employer Responsibilities and other services OSHA offers, read OSHA's Workers page.