• Employees in construction must be protected in work zones with high-visibility clothing.
• OSHA requires construction flaggers to wear safety vests with high visibility during the day, and with retroreflective materialduring nighttime work.
• Employees must be trained to recognize hazards, to maintain equipment, and to understand communication methods in the work zone.

Employers with employees who operate in construction work zones must comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA)’s standard for protecting flaggers. One important type of safety equipment for employees in construction zones is high-visibility clothing.

High-visibility safety apparel is critical in a construction work zone. At a minimum, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) requires that for daytime work flaggers wear a vest, shirt, or jacket that is orange, yellow, strong yellow green or fluorescent versions of these colors. For nighttime work, similar outside garments shall be retroreflective. The retroreflective material shall be orange, yellow, white, silver, strong yellow-green, or a fluorescent version of one of these colors and shall be visible at a minimum distance of 1,000 feet.

OSHA regulations require adherence to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) for all traffic control signs and devices used for protecting construction workers. Flaggers must wear warning garments that meet requirements of the MUTCD per 1926.201(a). There are no OSHA requirements specific to the individual worker doing road work.

If the road work is a federal project, or the work is done for a state, county, or municipality, the inclusion of the requirements for warning garments in MUTCD will be enough to require construction companies to provide American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved safety vests.

What employee training is required?

Work zones are dangerous places to work. Poor worker knowledge, due to lack of training or ineffective training, is a major cause of work zone injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. For this reason, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) requires personnel to be trained before they can work in the work zone. If the operation of equipment is involved, American National Standards Institute (ANSI) recommends that this training be based on the manufacturer’s manuals and that it includes hands-on instruction.

Employees must be trained on:

• How to recognize hazards while in a work zone,
• How to maintain their safety vests,
• Knowing the locations and sizes of blind spots around equipment, and
• Understanding communicating methods and alarms.