Safety paper wrote on Safe Construction Zones while on a Jobsite visit with Brent Posten from George J. Igel & Company at the Alum Creek Drive Project. This paper goes over the five main zones used to keep the construction workers safe while working on an active road project.

1. Shisler 1
Jobsite Abatement Paper:
Safe Construction Zones
Tyler Shisler
Mentor: Brent Poston
Instructor: David Morgan
Construction Systems Management 2600
19 November 2012

2. Shisler 2
While on my jobsite visit to Alum Creek Drive with Brent Poston, Project Coordinator, I
noticed that the majority of the work wasn’t able to start until after 9:00 a.m. This was because
the road had no detour option so it could not be completely closed down. With no option of a
detour it made so that the pipe crew on the jobsite had to have a Flagger system set up to control
traffic while they were working. After having the presentation in this safety class from Parr
Peterson on “Work Zone Safety Traffic Control”, I can say that I have been informed on how a
safe traffic control zone should be set up. With the Alum Creek Drive site the amount of
crossing the road and work along the road is extensive. How the existing road is set up can make
it difficult to control traffic with all of the streets that intersect with Alum Creek Drive. The
Flagger crew that is working on the site has to communicate back and forth to make sure that the
traffic let go through the site is done so safely. Stopping traffic can be a hazard for both the
drivers and the construction crew. This is why the site is set up to have different levels of
warning and at the end a “crash zone” before the work area.
The first zone of Control for a construction site is always the Advanced Warning Area.
The length of this area is determined by the speed limit of the area before and after the
construction zone. The area should have ample amount of signage and posted areas to let the
traffic know that there is construction in the area ahead and how they should react to it. There
are many things that the signs will be competing with so it is important to make the signs visible
from the correct angle. For example, a road sign telling the left lane that it will end ahead will
not do any good if it is posted 2 feet off the ground on the right side of the road. Also if the
Message board is not at the right angle or is right in front of the sun the driver will not be able to
see the information that they need to. These are things to think of when posting the signs to
make sure that it is visible to the intended person.

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The next level of warning for a construction site is the Transition zone. This is the area
where the traffic should already know that there is construction ahead and that they may need to
get over into the other lane or even stop at the flagger. In this zone it is important that the
transition is gradual and not just an abrupt stop, which can cause for problems. This zone should
also leave no questions for the motorist to answer as they are driving through it. The path should
be completely chosen for them with no room for them to question which side of the barricade
they should be on. In the Transition area the equipment should be the same and not changing
between barricades and drums or drums and cones. According to Parr’s presentation Transition
areas can be calculated with formulas like: L= WS2/60 for 40 mph and less, or, L= WS for 45
mph or greater (Parr). Where L equals the length of Taper needed for the zone to work
affectively when stopping vehicles before impact with the construction zone.
The third level of warning in a Construction zone is the Buffer zone. According to the
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), the buffer zone is optional but advised
to have on a construction site. The MUTCD says, “Neither work activity nor storage of
equipment, vehicles, or material should occur in” the buffer space. This means that the space is
left empty as a last chance “Crash zone” for a motorist to stop before running into either the
work area or into a barrier set up to protect the workers. There are two types of buffer zones
according to the MUTCD, they are the Longitudinal and the Lateral zones(MUTCD). The
Longitudinal zone is the space from the transitional area to the work area and is designated and
designed by the competent person on the site or by an agency that is certified to do so (United
States). The Lateral zone is the space “used to separate the traffic space from the work
space…or a potentially hazardous area”(UnitedStates).

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The fourth level of a Construction zone is the Work area, which is where the workers are
at. This area is supposed to be the safe zone where there is no traffic pedestrian or motor
vehicles that are not part of the construction crew. While in this zone the workers are required to
wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), which will make them visible to motorists. While on
the Alum Creek Drive site the workers and I were wearing a class 2 vest and a hard hat as our
PPE. This made us visible to traffic when there was a need for us to be outside of the protected
work zone. The flaggers also had to wear the same PPE and held signs to direct traffic when to
stop and when to proceed through the site.
The last area in a safe construction work zone is the Termination zone. This zone is used
to tell the motorists that they are exiting the construction zone and to return to their lane or that
the lane is open again. It is important to have a termination zone so that the motorists are not left
with any questions as to whether they can return to normal traffic patterns or not. It is also
important because you don’t want motorists to cut over to early and put the workers into harm’s
way.
The safety of a jobsite is important and can be successfully achieved if the proper steps
are taken to warn motorists of the change to their normal patterns. It is important to remember
that no matter how it is done to never leave any questions unanswered and to have a complete
path for the motorists to get through the construction zone.

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References
Parr, Peterson. (2012). Paul Peterson Company: Work Zone Safety Traffic Control. Presentation.
Tetra Tech. (2010 July). US 36/SR 37 Access Management Plan Report. Retrieved from
http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/InnovativeDelivery/DEL71%203637%20Interchang
e/US%2036%2037%20AMP%20Report_July%202010%20Final.pdf
United States Department of Labor. (2012). Occupational Safety & Health Administration. In
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices: Temporary Traffic Control Elements.
Retrieved from http://www.osha.gov/doc/highway_workzones/mutcd/6c_temporary.html