Quality Standards for Work Zone Traffic Control

In every traffic work zone, the primary goal is safety. But safety is dependent on several issues: time, location, type of road, speed of traffic and traffic volume. Since each work zone is different, no one rule can cover every situation. So states develop guidelines to help workers and supervisors provide the safest environment. There are a myriad of sources where you can obtain the guidelines and standards any work zone should emulate.

National Standards

• Visit the U.S. Department of Transportation website. The U.S. DOT details national safety guidelines, standards for installation and removal of devices and illustrations of flagger signs, as well as state reports and guidelines.

State Standards

• Contact your state's Department of Transportation. Each state develops and monitors regulations for work zones. Many of these departments also offer downloadable PDF manuals detailing the state's standard safety code.

Traffic Association Standards

• Consult the "Quality Guidelines for Work Zone Traffic Control Devices" published by the American Traffic Safety Services Association. The manual provides direction regarding device conditions, descriptions and photographs.

Safety Organization Standards

• Search for national and local work zone safety organizations. Many groups provide training, awareness and manuals for citizens, workers and other companies.