O3.2.8 The area created by the safety clearances around the works constitutes the safety zone, into which persons, equipment, transport and plant should not enter in the normal course of work. The following important issues relate to safety zones and should be taken into account during the operation of a works site.
- Materials shall not be deposited or stored in the safety zone.
- Moving parts of plant or machinery shall not be allowed to encroach into the safety zone.
- The safety zone may be entered as necessary to place, replace, remove, clean and otherwise maintain the traffic cones and cylinders, warning lights, signs, temporary barriers and fences etc. which are part of the signing and guarding of the works site. Such encroachments, however, shall be kept to an absolute minimum.
- Adequate working space should be provided around the works to allow for the movement of persons, equipment and vehicles. The working space may vary during the period of the works and need not be a constant width around the works. The safety zone should not be used as a working space.
- The lateral and longitudinal safety zone clearances and the working space around the works area are necessary whenever personnel are present and/or there is an obstruction or hazard which remains outside working hours, e.g. a hole, skip or materials in the works which may cause a potential hazard to the travelling public.
- When a site is unoccupied it may be possible to reduce the size of the overall site and, therefore the obstruction, by removing the working space which is not required and reducing the safety zone if circumstances allow. The exception to this is when pedestrians are diverted into the carriageway.
- The safety zone will be required at all times between the outer pedestrian barrier and the coning.
- Operators of "STOP/GO" signs to diagrams 7023 and 7024 shall not stand in the safety zone; see Section O3.22.
- Delineated safety zones are not required at mobile works provided work is not being carried out on foot. If work is being carried out on foot a delineated safety zone should be provided whenever practicable, or a suitable audible warning system (e.g. horn on closest block vehicle) provided to alert operatives if they are about to enter the safety zone; see also paragraphs O10.19.8 to O10.19.13.
O3.2.9 The outer boundary of the safety zone should always be marked by traffic cones, with the addition of warning lights during poor weather conditions and/or darkness (see Table A1.3 (Appendix 1) for the spacing of the lights) or an approved temporary vehicle safety barrier (TVSB). Where the permanent speed limit is greater than 40 mph the inner boundary should always be marked. The purpose of the inner marking is to indicate the extent of the safety zone, to attract workers’ attention when they are in danger of stepping out of it, and to prevent workers inadvertently entering the safety zone, as this is outside the working space.
O3.2.10 When the boundary of the working space and the outer boundary of the safety zone are both marked with cones, the inner row of cones may be longitudinally offset to the outer row, effectively halving the spacing between them and giving the appearance of a more substantial boundary.
O3.2.11 The inner boundary should be marked with a lightweight barrier wherever practicable. The purpose of the inner marking is to indicate the extent of the safety zone; see paragraph O3.2.9. Suitably supported traffic tape, of an appropriate breaking strength so that it would break before causing serious personal injury,
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