
26 May The Critical Role of Traffic Control in Construction Safety
In the bustling world of construction, safety and efficiency are non-negotiable. One key aspect that plays a critical role in both is traffic control.
Traffic control, or traffic management, involves setting up road signs and barriers to guide traffic through altered roadways. It’s meant to reduce risks, improve efficiency, and ensure compliance with regulations.
Safety
Construction sites are often hectic and chaotic places with heavy machinery and tons of unpredictable activity. Keeping workers safe is the top priority for any construction company, and traffic control is an important tool to help mitigate some of the major safety risks associated with these sites. Construction traffic management involves coordinating with local authorities, transportation agencies, and construction crews to ensure that everyone involved understands what is happening on the site and how it affects them. It also involves using a variety of traffic control devices, including signage, signals, barricades, Traffic Control Personnel, and flaggers, to manage the flow of traffic in and around work zones.
Injuries and accidents can be very costly for construction companies. In addition to the pain and suffering that workers must endure, they can also lead to lost productivity and even put the entire project in jeopardy. Having effective safety measures in place helps to reduce these costs and keep the profit margins for construction companies high.
Safety is also a key component of worker morale. When workers feel that their employers care about their safety, they are more likely to be productive and focused on the job at hand. In addition, safety initiatives can improve recruitment and retention by attracting more skilled laborers to your business.
The best way to ensure a safe construction site is by planning ahead. This includes planning out traffic routes and identifying safe areas for pedestrians. It is also helpful to minimise the amount of vehicle movement around the site by landscaping and planning storage areas, so that vehicles do not need to move between them. Regular reviews should be conducted to ensure that the plan is still working well and that any changes are made as necessary.
In addition to implementing traffic control plans, it is also necessary to provide regular training for workers on safety protocols and hazard recognition. This training should be delivered by a qualified trainer and include a mix of classroom-based learning and hands-on practical exercises. It is also crucial to conduct a risk assessment on each piece of equipment and to maintain and inspect them regularly.
Efficiency
During construction, safety and efficiency are crucial to success. Effective traffic control measures protect workers from potential road hazards while also minimizing congestion and delays. However, the logistics of implementing traffic control can be complex and require a well-planned approach.
Using the proper traffic management plan (TMP) and internal traffic control plans will help to minimize construction-related traffic delays and keep workers and commuters safe. These plans include a wide range of considerations such as traffic signal modifications, construction phasing, barrier protections, detour planning, pavement markings, channelizing devices, and a temporary work zone signage plan.
In addition to planning traffic control strategies, it’s important to make sure that all equipment is in good working condition and that drivers are aware of any changes to the roadway. Keeping in mind that the risk of reversing is one of the most common causes of accidents, it’s also important to plan storage areas so that vehicles don’t have to move within or around a construction site.
Safety measures on a construction site are essential to protecting workers, enhancing productivity, and increasing company reputation. These safety measures include regular training and rehearsals, surprise inspections of equipment, and ensuring that workers have CPR certification in case of an emergency. They also include requiring that employees have a valid driver’s license and are trained in the proper operation of heavy machinery.
Construction-related accidents and injuries can cost a construction company a significant amount of money in insurance premiums, worker’s compensation claims, legal expenses, and lost productivity. By reducing these risks, companies can save considerable amounts of money each year and improve their overall bottom line.
In a bid to reduce the number of work-related accidents, states are increasingly implementing initiatives and enforcing laws to promote better driving habits in and around construction zones. Some of these initiatives include lowering speed limits, increasing enforcement, and advocating for stricter work zone laws.
An internal traffic control plan can be used for a project of any size and scope, including rehabilitation, maintenance, special events, and incident management. It includes a detailed schedule of work, motorist information, demand management, system management, and alternative route planning. It also outlines the necessary closure charts and standard T series special provisions for maintaining traffic.
Cost-effectiveness

At a time when work zones are a growing concern for safety, there is a need to find cost-effective solutions that help both drivers and construction workers stay safe. The most important step in achieving this is ensuring that all stakeholders are well informed. This requires communicating with local authorities, transportation agencies, and construction crews to ensure that everyone understands the scope of work and the associated hazards. It also involves implementing work zone strategies that minimize traffic delays and the duration of work activities. This can include full facility closures, extended weekend closures, continuous weekday closures, and A+B contract specifications. In addition, coordinating with local law enforcement and lobbying for stricter work zone laws is vital to keeping both drivers and construction workers safe.
Construction sites are busy places, with powered mobile plant moving around; deliveries coming in and going out; loading and unloading; and different trades working together on site. All of this can pose serious transport risks if not carefully managed. Traffic management helps to mitigate these risks – and is a requirement for many projects.
Whether a project is a road construction, rehabilitation, or maintenance, a comprehensive traffic control plan is needed to safely guide motorists through the work area and to maintain traffic flow. This plan should include long-term and short-term delineation, warning signs, barricades, channelizing devices, and flaggers. It should also cover maintenance and inspection procedures.
A traffic plan should be reviewed regularly to identify areas for improvement, and contingency plans should be developed for unexpected events that may impact traffic conditions. A good plan will also identify costs and benefits and help determine the most cost-effective solution.
To reduce the cost of maintaining a work zone, consider using a fully automated traffic control system that allows the contractor to update information and lane closures from a central location. This will save both money and labor, and it will help to keep the public aware of construction activity and changes in road conditions.
Elimination controls – such as closing the road completely or providing alternative routes – should be used whenever possible. If these are not possible, engineering controls can be used to reduce the number of vehicles and drivers in the work zone. For example, the entering transition should not be located on or just beyond horizontal curves or the crest of a summit vertical, and the exiting roadway width should be equal to the effective traversable roadway width.
Compliance
Managing traffic flow during construction activities is vital to the safety of both workers and motorists. A strategic traffic control plan outlines a variety of considerations, including temporary signals, construction phasing, barrier protections, and traffic shifts and detours. By limiting interaction between workers and vehicles, these plans reduce the risk of accidents while ensuring that traffic flows smoothly through work zones. A comprehensive risk assessment is also a critical step to prevent future problems.
To ensure that all contractors comply with traffic management rules, it’s important to establish clear communication channels. This includes implementing changeable message signs, social media alerts, and newspaper ads to inform the public about work zone changes. By keeping the public informed, it’s easier to avoid confusion and delays.
In addition to improving safety and efficiency, compliance is essential for reducing risk and costs for construction companies. Accidents and injuries on construction sites can be costly, resulting in insurance claims, worker’s compensation expenses, and lost productivity. By avoiding non-compliance, construction companies can save significant amounts of money each year.
A good way to promote compliance is to train employees on how to correctly use equipment and follow health and safety protocols. By providing comprehensive training, you can increase employee buy-in and close the gap between rules on paper and in practice. Additionally, it is important to create a culture of safety, as this will help your employees feel more comfortable and confident at work.
While safety compliance is not a one-size-fits-all approach, there are some best practices that can be applied to any construction site. These include having a clear communication process, promoting employee engagement, and developing a robust evaluation system. Ultimately, these measures will allow your company to achieve the highest level of compliance and build trust with clients, employees, and the community. This will result in reduced risks, increased project completion times, and higher profits. In the end, it’s worth the effort to comply with these rules – they can save you a lot of money in the long run. Contact Coates today to see how our range of traffic management solutions can improve your project’s profitability.