Traffic Cone Placement Safety: Work Vehicles & Roadways

Key Hazards

• Workers struck while placing or retrieving cones
• Drivers not seeing the work vehicle or work area in time
• Cones placed too close, too late, or in confusing patterns
• Pedestrians or vehicles entering the work area
• Poor visibility from curves, hills, weather, darkness, or glare
• Workers turning their backs to traffic during setup or teardown

2–3 Minute Talk Script

Traffic cone placement around work vehicles helps make the vehicle, work area, and worker movements more visible to approaching traffic. Poorly placed cones can confuse drivers, leave workers exposed, or fail to provide enough warning that conditions ahead have changed.

Cone placement should be planned before workers step into traffic exposure. The traffic-control plan, road speed, visibility, work duration, vehicle position, and type of work should determine how the area is set up.

Workers should consider where approaching drivers will first see the work vehicle and cones. Curves, hills, intersections, parked vehicles, darkness, weather, glare, and other obstructions can reduce available reaction time.

Cones should form a clear and understandable pattern around the work area. Random, inconsistent, missing, or poorly aligned cones can confuse drivers and pedestrians instead of guiding them safely around the vehicle.

Workers placing or retrieving cones are exposed before the setup is complete and again while protection is being removed. They should minimize time in travel lanes, stay alert to approaching traffic, use high-visibility clothing as required, and maintain an escape path when practical.

Cone placement should also consider pedestrians, driveways, intersections, equipment movement, and access to the work vehicle. The layout should not unintentionally direct people into another hazard.

The cone layout may need to change if the work vehicle moves, traffic conditions change, visibility decreases, or the work area expands. Cones that are knocked over, displaced, or no longer serving the intended pattern should be corrected.

Safe traffic cone placement means planning the layout before exposure begins, giving approaching road users clear guidance, protecting workers during setup and removal, and adjusting the pattern as the vehicle, work, or traffic conditions change.

Safety Reminders

• Plan cone placement before entering traffic exposure.
• Wear high-visibility clothing.
• Place cones where drivers have time to react.
• Use clear and consistent patterns.
• Face traffic when practical.
• Adjust cones when work conditions change.
• Use extra caution during cone removal.

Ask the Crew

• What traffic hazard needs to be controlled?
• Can drivers see the cones and work vehicle in time?
• Is cone spacing appropriate for the area?
• Where is the worker’s escape path during setup?
• Does the cone layout clearly guide traffic and pedestrians?