Safety Through Maintenance and Construction Zones
a two-day training course

Learning Objectives

By the end of the training, the student will:

• Understand the need and requirements to protect the driving public and work-zone crew at and around construction and maintenance areas (or work zones).
• Be able to develop traffic control plans for work zones in accordance with the State and national guidelines.
• Understand safety equipment and markings as well as their uses/limitations under various conditions.
• Be able to install traffic control devices for work zones to assure safety of the driving public and the work-zone crew.
• Be able to safely install and remove a variety of safety equipment and markings used to control/guide traffic safely through work zones.
• Be able to use flags and paddles to safely control vehicle movements around work zones in accordance with the State and national guidelines.
• Gain knowledge concerning actions to reduce risk of personal and agency liability arising from negligence in the work-zone design and operation.

Course Outline

Day 1 (8 am-4 pm)

1. Instruction
   Self introductions; topics and activities for both days
2. The Need for Traffic Control
   Reasons for proper control procedures, and possible consequences of inadequate or improper traffic controls; real-world examples.
3. Mitigating Problem Areas
   Deficient work-zone operations under various roadway and traffic conditions; how to prevent crashes involving vehicles and/or work-zone crew through use of proper work-zone traffic control.
4. Human Factors
   Abilities and limitations of drivers on the road; driver behavior near and around work zones; driver response to various traffic control devices.
5. Traffic Control Devices for Work Zones
   Description and demonstrations of all traffic control devices used for work zone traffic control, including newly available devices; how to select and install appropriate devices

Lunch (11:30 am-12:30 pm) on your own

6. Device location and placement
   Principles behind the layout and design of traffic control zones; applications of these principles to real-world work zones; current State and national manuals with established guidelines; real-world application examples.
7. How to Design Traffic Control Zones
   Layouts of traffic control zones as suggested in the State and national manuals; how well various traffic control scenarios function in real-world situations; "do and don't" examples.
8. Workshops
   Students are divided in groups of 5-7 to design and develop a traffic control plan based on a prepared scenario. Manuals are provided for reference. Groups must apply what they have learned in class so far. Each group records its completed plan on the site plan map. NOTE: three exercises are available for this workshop; instructors select based on the needs of the SPONSOR; scenarios include an urban-oriented plan, a rural-oriented plan, and a high-speed (freeway) plan.

Adjourn 4:00 pm

DAY 2 (8 am-4 pm)

9. Presentation and discussion of workshop results
   Each group presents its developed plan to the class, answers questions and comments from the class. Then the instructors provide feedback on each group's work.
10. Liability
    Examples of what constitutes negligence in work-zone traffic control operations; consequences of such negligence; worker liability; California law; questions and answers. NOTE: this module is taught by a guest speaker who is a legal expert.

Lunch (11:30 am-12:30 pm) on your own

11. Installing and Removing Devices
    Field procedures for safe and efficient installation of devices and work-area traffic control zones; transportation of devices to the work site; removel of devices; treatment options for the beginning and end of work-area traffic control zones; safety guidelines.
12. Evaluating Traffic Control Zones
    How to evaluate, maintain, and modify the work-area traffic control zone to ensure maximum safety and efficiency as traffic, weather, or work conditions change.
13. Flagging
    Flagging terminology; purposes and benefits of flagging; conducting flagging in the field using the State and national guidelines; safe and unsafe flagging practices; how flaggers deal with difficult motorists; flagger equipment and clothing; proper flagging in the field; demonstration of how to use paddles properly.
14. Course Wrap-up
    Final summary of key points covered during the course. Final questions and answers. Course evaluation.

Adjourn 4:00 pm

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