night time road work and working around heavy equipment

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# NIGHT WORK Date Posted: 05/09/2025 ## Night Work Night or evening work is often necessary in the construction industry. Sometimes, nighttime construction is scheduled because it can be more convenient. There is usually less traffic on the roads during night hours, which means work can proceed without interruptions. Additionally, workers are at a lower risk of heat-related illnesses like heatstroke when working on projects scheduled through the summer months. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), close to 15 million Americans work permanent night shifts or frequently rotate in and out of night shifts. This is especially true for those who work outdoors and near heavy equipment, as there are significant safety concerns to address and night-work safety precautions that everyone needs to be familiar with. However, night work may cause physical and social disruptions, such as sleep deprivation and disruption, a higher risk of injury from drowsiness, and affected family or social relationships. Therefore, it is crucial to take special precautions at the work site during night work, such as increasing visibility and being aware of your surroundings. ## HAZARDS OF NIGHT WORK Working the night shift can be risky, even if there are fewer cars on the road. Employees who work during the night must be cautious and alert to avoid various hazardous situations while working through the dark hours. Despite the added complexity of working at night, it's still possible to ensure the safety of your team. Here are some common hazards associated with working at night: Vehicles and Heavy Equipment: For individuals who work outside during nighttime hours, the most significant risk is being struck by a vehicle or heavy machinery. These types of accidents occur when a person is hit or run over by a car, truck, excavator, backhoe, or dump truck. Although struck-by incidents can happen during the day, they are more frequent at night due to certain factors including: • W…

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# Working at Night - Visibility is greatly reduced at night. - Your risk of getting injured or killed increases in the dark. - Drivers may be more tired, sleepy, and less attentive. Hazards & Problems: • poor visibility - glare off lights • adverse weather conditions - tired drivers - inattentive workers Washington State Department of Labor & Industries 17

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# Working at Night (cont'd) Protect yourself when you must work at night by: - being aware of your surroundings at ALL TIMES • wearing High Visibility Apparel - arranging good work area lighting • setting up proper traffic controls • knowing the traffic flow plan/pattern Washington State Department of Labor & Industries 18

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# What Are the Special Challenges? Night operations change the work environment. (cont.) ## Physical and social disruptions (cont.) BEGIN Night Work INSTRUCTION ZONE ROADWAY SAFETY 2 # How Can We Protect Ourselves at Night? Use SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS at the site for night work. ## Increase visibility • Retro-reflective clothing - Flashing lights on body/clothing - Retro-reflective tape on equipment - Good work area lighting ## Know your surroundings • Vehicle and equipment paths - Assigned work areas - Safe paths to/from work locations • On foot, watch out for equipment • On equipment, watch for workers STOP D

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# WORK ZONE SAFETY STOP ## Date Posted: 05/31/2024 According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there are 773 work zone-related fatalities annually. Construction workers who work on highways, roads, streets, bridges, tunnels, utilities, and other similar work for the highway infrastructure are exposed to hazards from outside and inside the work zone. The work is often in congested areas with exposure to high traffic volumes and speeds and can also have the dangers of low lighting, low visibility, and inclement weather. Work is often near moving construction vehicles, equipment, and passing motor vehicle traffic. Note: Dump trucks were responsible for 41% of the deaths, with 52% of those fatalities involving dump trucks backing. ## WORK ZONE HAZARDS When working on or near the roads, there are several hazards that you need to be aware of, including: • Moving and idle construction vehicles and equipment. • Moving vehicles driven by the public or other workers. • Traffic control/management. • Noise from motors and vehicles. • Limited visibility from machinery/dust. - Night work and limited lighting. • Inclement weather. - Natural hazards such as trees and vegetation. . Slip, trip, and fall hazards. • Hazards upon entering or leaving the work zone. ## FLAGGERS Flaggers and other workers can be exposed to the hazard of being struck if not visible to motorists or equipment operators. Flaggers and others setting up or taking down temporary traffic control should wear high visibility clothing (ANSI class 2 or 3) with a fluorescent orange-red or yellow-green background and retroreflective orange, yellow, white, silver, or yellow-green material. In traffic movement areas, this personal protective equipment will make the worker visible at least 1,000 feet from any direction and make the worker stand out from the background. Drivers are required to be warned in advance with signs of a flagger ahead. Flaggers should use STOP/SLOW paddles, paddles wit…

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# How is traffic control managed? (cont.) ## What kind of safety devices are used in traffic control layouts? (cont.) Temporary crash cushions absorb the energy of a collision, have the advantage of being easily restored, and can be used in temporary situations where quick setup and removal the work zone is needed. ## What type of personal protection equipment is recommended? The personal protection equipment must be adequate for the job. Road workers should generally wear a hard hat with retro-reflective striping, CSA-certified protective footwear, and a highly visible vest or clothing. In general, you should wear high-visibility clothing that complies with the CSA Standard Z96-22 High-Visibility Safety Apparel. Consult the CSA Standard or check with your provincial legislation for specific requirements. What are general tips when working on or near roads? - Do not work on the edge or outside of the work zone. - Do not unload or load a vehicle from the side with active traffic. - Work facing oncoming traffic. - Appoint, as necessary, a traffic control person who meets the training requirements established by the regulatory body. - If a traffic control person is deemed necessary, place a sign in advance of the person to indicate their presence. In an emergency situation, placement of signs may not be possible. Ensure the traffic control person is clearly visible. - As a driver of a work vehicle, avoid backing up. If backing up is required, reverse slowly. Use a signaller to increase safety. - Use vehicles and mobile equipment equipped with warning devices when backing up. - Control the release of dust that may reduce visibility by periodically spraying the area with water. - Wear appropriate personal protection equipment, and make sure that the equipment is maintained in good order. - Make sure that the work vehicles are highly visible, and clean. Consider marking the sides and rear of the vehicle with retro-reflective tape. - Place lighting eq…

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# Section 4: Temporary Traffic Control Devices Ministry of BRITISH Transportation COLUMBIA and Infrastructure ## 4.9.4 Overhead Lighting Overhead lighting includes floodlights, balloon lights, and existing street lighting. When work is performed at night, overhead lighting should be used to illuminate the work activity area, equipment crossings, and other potentially hazardous areas. Overhead lighting is not a substitution for the need for retroreflectivity on signs and devices. Except in emergency situations and for mobile operations, each Traffic Control Person location shall be illuminated at night by overhead lighting. More information can be found in Section 5.4.1 TCP Apparel and Equipment. The adequacy of overhead lighting placement and glare elimination should be determined by driving through and observing the lit area at night—from each direction on all approaching roadways—both after the initial overhead lighting is set up and periodically thereafter. Floodlights may have to be shielded or repositioned to prevent glare. Floodlighting of some areas may decrease relative visibility in other areas, and it may be necessary to define intended vehicular paths with other devices, such as strings of steady-burn yellow warning lights. ## 4.9.5 Equipment Lighting Equipment lighting is critical for the visibility of equipment on the road and in work activity areas. LED lighting is becoming the preferred lighting option for equipment. Other lighting options are still acceptable. All powered mobile equipment shall be equipped with lighting to ensure that it is visible to drivers, pedestrians, and workers. Equipment lighting requirements include 360-degree flashing lights and 4-way yellow flashing lights or equivalent for 360-degree visibility. Other visibility devices that may be used or required on work zone equipment include: • retroreflective striping • equipment-mounted lamps for localized area lighting - multiple lights mounted around equipment to lig…

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CPWR TOOLBOX THE CENTER FOR CONSTRUCTION RESEARCH AND TRAINING TALK # Night Shift: Road Work Road work at night is dangerous. Both workers and motorists need enough light to move safely through work zones. Drivers on the roadway or operating equipment at night must be able to see ground workers to ensure their safety. ## Matt's Story Matt, a road construction worker, was finishing up his break one night around 2:00 a.m. He was walking across a poorly lit area to return to work when he was hit by a dump truck. The driver did not see Matt. Matt was taken to the hospital in serious condition. - How could this incident have been prevented? - Have you or someone you know ever had an injury related to night work? ## Remember This ➤ Your employer should give you high-visibility safety apparel (HVSA), which is made to return light (such as from headlights). - o Wear Type R (Roadway) around motorist traffic or in roadway work zones. - o Wear Type R Performance Class 3 at night for even better visibility. - Your employer is responsible for providing enough light so that workers can be seen by each other and oncoming traffic. Your work area should: - o Have a site-specific plan to match the light level to the activity in each work area of the site. - o Check field lighting regularly for brightness, and use larger traffic control devices, reflective materials, and lettering to improve safety. - o Set arrow panels at nighttime light levels; at night, lights on daytime settings are blinding. How can we stay safe tonight? What will we do at the worksite to prevent being injured while doing road work at night? 1. 2. OSHA Standard: 1926.56 ©2017, CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training. All rights reserved. CPWR is the research and training arm of NABTU. Production of this document was supported by cooperative agreement OH 009762 from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The contents are solely the responsibil…

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# HIGH VISIBILITY CLOTHING FOR HEAVY & HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION (cont.) ## Workers Must Be Seen ## Fatalities Total 305 985 According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), "The most common 15 event associated with fatal occupational injuries incurred at a road construction site was worker struck by vehicle, mobile equipment. Of the [redacted street address] construction sites during the 2003-07period, 305 were due to a worker being struck by a vehicle or mobile equipment." The BLS 70 article further reports that more workers are struck and killed by construction 177 equipment (38 percent) than by cars, vans and tractor-trailers (33 percent). As such, work zone "runovers" and "backovers" are clearly the greatest hazard to roadway construction workers and, by far, the leading cause of death. 23 The use of high visibility clothing is one important strategy in reducing the number of "struck-by" deaths on road construction sites. 73 Dump Truck Pickup Truck Semi Truck Car Roller/Paver Grader/Planer/ Van Backhoe Scraper # HIGH VISIBILITY CLOTHING FOR HEAVY & HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION ## Standards and Regulations Several agencies of the federal U.S. government have specific standards and guidance with regards to the wearing of high vis- ibility clothing, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Federal Highway Admin- istration. These agencies most commonly reference an industry consensus standard issued by the International Safety Equipment Associa- tion (ISEA) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). This is known as the ANSI/ISEA 107 Standard or "American National Standard for High Visibility Safety Apparel and Headwear." ## ANSI/ISEA 107 This standard provides performance criteria for the materials to be used in high visibility PPE, specifies minimum areas and, where appropri- ate, recommends placement of the materials. Performance requirements focus on the color and brightness of garments and headwear relative to the work e…