# Working near traffic and flaggers

URL: https://hardhatbinder.com/en/toolbox-talks/working-near-traffic
Last updated: 2026-10-23

This week we have crews working right next to live traffic. Drivers are distracted, in a hurry, and often don't see us until the last second. Our signs, our flaggers, and how we stand and move are what keep a car out of our work zone.

## Key points

1. Before work starts, walk or drive the setup and check that every warning sign, cone, and barricade is in place, visible, and facing traffic. Fix anything knocked over right away.
2. Wear your high-visibility vest or shirt the whole time you are near traffic, and keep it zipped and clean. At night or in bad weather, make sure it has reflective strips that work.
3. Flaggers: use the STOP/SLOW paddle, stand where drivers can see you from far away, and never stand in the travel lane. Always have an escape route planned in case a driver doesn't stop.
4. Flaggers stay focused on traffic. No phones, no side conversations, and don't turn your back to oncoming cars.
5. Everyone else stays inside the work zone behind the cones or barriers. Don't step into the lane to grab a tool or material; stop and get help.
6. Watch for our own equipment too. Trucks and machines backing up in the zone can hit you just as hard, so make eye contact with operators and stay out of blind spots.
7. Take down or cover signs when the work is done so drivers trust our signs when they really matter.

## Talk it over

- Where on this job would you go if a car came through the cones right now?
- Which signs or cones on our setup are hard to see, especially early morning or late afternoon?
- Have you seen a close call with traffic or our own trucks? What should we change?

> **Remember:** Be seen, stay behind the cones, and always know your way out.

## Official sources

- [29 CFR 1926.200](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.200) — Accident prevention signs and tags
- [29 CFR 1926.201](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.201) — Signaling (flaggers)

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Source: HardHat Binder, operated by Leadspire LLC. Templates to be reviewed by a competent person before use; not legal advice; not affiliated with OSHA.