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Safety Inspection Checklists for Work Zones

Work zones are high-risk work environments road construction or other road work. Such environments breed safety risks and hazards to workers, which is why it is critical for work zone managers to institute safety inspection checklists. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, workers have the right to a safe work environment, so it becomes the responsibility of the work zone manager to ensure that safety inspection checklists are comprehensive enough to account for various types of safety hazards.

  1. Warning Signs

    • Work zones must be surrounded by signs that warn drivers of the upcoming construction or road work. As part of the safety inspection checklist, it is paramount that such signs be inspected to ensure that they are visible, spaced accordingly, positioned properly, legible, clean and reflective for nighttime use. Any interruption to the signs could result in accidents to members of the public and/or the workers. For example, a misplaced sign might not give a driver enough advance warning about a closed lane ahead, causing the driver to skid off the road or crash into the construction zone.

    Delineation Devices

    • Delineation devices are objects that let oncoming traffic know about upcoming work zones. Cones, lights, tubular markers, vertical panels in orange-and-white strips and barricades must be inspected for proper use. The safety inspection checklist must look to see that the delineation devices are used, whether they are appropriately positioned, if they are easily identifiable and whether they are reflective. Specific devices require specific checklist indicators. For example, both cones and tubular markers must be 700mm, but drums shall not be less than 900mm.

    Equipment Safety

    • Safety inspection checklists must also cover the safety of equipment used by workers. Work zone workers use tools, equipment and machinery that could be dangerous if used incorrectly or if the equipment malfunctions. Accordingly, inspections are designed to test the equipment before it is used, so that worker safety is secured. Inspections look for evidence of wear and tear, frays, missing parts and mechanical or electrical problems.

    Personal Equipment

    • OSHA makes it mandatory for workers in work zones to protect themselves with the appropriate personal protective equipment, such as hard boots, hard hats, goggles, gloves, reflective vests and other items. A safety inspection checklist should take into account what the workers are supposed to be wearing, and look to see that the team is in compliance with OSHA codes. Workers who are not in compliance might be cited or written up by the project manager.

    Traffic Control

    • Reserve a section of your safety inspection checklist for evaluating traffic control plans and procedures. Traffic control plans and procedures pertain to the steps and precautions that are taken when work zones are set up. For instance, traffic control plans and procedures review how two lanes in the road will merge into one, how to set up for shoulder work, what to do when a sidewalk is closed and how to handle a blocked intersection. The safety inspection checklist should be developed based on the type of work that the project team is doing so that specific inspection criteria is evaluated.

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