Watch out for construction site traffic over the Easter break

As workplaces and holiday makers rush to shake off the shackles of COVID-19 and enjoy the Easter break, construction workplaces must ensure they have plans in place to protect traffic control workers from tired drivers and heavy holiday traffic.

Impatient drivers, fatigue and rushing sees about 100 traffic controllers each year receive an injury requiring medical treatment or time off work, and tragically there is at least one death.

Principal contractors performing construction work on roads or road-related areas must prepare a written WHS management plan before work on the project starts. They must ensure everyone who is to work on the project is informed about the plan, keep a copy of it and take all reasonable steps to obtain a copy of the safe work method statement relating to high risk construction work before the actual work starts.

The traffic management plan or traffic guidance scheme should form part of, or be an attachment to, the WHS management plan. PCBUs must ensure a safe work method statement is prepared for the work and must identify work that is high risk, describing the measures to be implemented to control the risks, as well as how the measures will be monitored and reviewed.

As traffic controllers are performing high risk construction work, a safe work method statement must be prepared for that work.

Read the Traffic management for construction or maintenance work code of practice (PDF, 0.8 MB).