Temporary Traffic Control Awareness Safety

• Confusing or incomplete traffic control layouts
• Improper cone, sign, barrel, or barricade placement
• Drivers ignoring or misunderstanding temporary controls
• Workers exposed during setup, adjustment, or removal
• Reduced visibility from weather, darkness, curves, or hills
• Traffic control devices displaced by wind, traffic, or equipment

Temporary traffic control is used to guide drivers safely around work while protecting the crew. When the layout is unclear, incomplete, or poorly maintained, drivers may react late, enter the work area, or create hazards for workers and other traffic.

Traffic control devices must be placed so drivers have enough time to see, understand, and respond. Curves, hills, intersections, parked vehicles, trees, equipment, and glare can all affect whether signs and cones are visible.

Workers should never assume that drivers will follow the setup correctly. Some drivers are distracted, impatient, confused, or unfamiliar with temporary patterns, so crews must stay alert even when the traffic control layout is correct.

Setup and removal are often high-risk phases because workers may be exposed to live traffic while placing or collecting devices. These tasks should be planned so workers have protection, visibility, and clear communication.

Traffic control should be checked throughout the job. Cones can be knocked over, signs can shift, barricades can be moved, and lighting conditions can change. A layout that worked in the morning may not be adequate later in the day.

Work vehicles, equipment, materials, and worker parking should not block signs or create confusing paths for drivers. The work zone should communicate one clear message about where traffic is supposed to go.

Night work, rain, fog, snow, dust, and sun glare may require extra attention to visibility. Reflective devices, lighting, vehicle placement, and worker PPE become even more important when drivers have less time to recognize hazards.

Temporary traffic control is not a one-time setup task. It must be monitored and adjusted as the work moves, traffic changes, or conditions become less predictable.

• Place traffic control devices so drivers can see them early.
• Inspect cones, signs, barrels, and barricades during the job.
• Do not assume drivers will follow the pattern correctly.
• Protect workers during setup, adjustment, and removal.
• Keep signs and devices from being blocked by vehicles or equipment.
• Adjust traffic control as work conditions change.
• Account for darkness, weather, glare, and poor visibility.

• Is the traffic control layout clear to approaching drivers?
• Are signs, cones, barrels, and barricades placed correctly?
• Are workers protected while setting up or removing devices?
• Have any devices shifted, fallen, or been blocked?
• Do changing conditions require traffic control adjustments?