Guidance Documents
The FHWA has awarded ATSSA multi-year grants in 2006, 2011, 2013 and 2016 to provide roadway safety training nationwide for workers and others who make their livelihood on America's roadways. The training modules below were developed under Grants awarded prior to 2016.
Work Zone Safety Guidance Documents through the FHWA Grant are guidelines and other documents about work zone safety for roadway workers, including but not limited to: pocket guides, informational brochures and booklets.
The Guidance Documents below are organized by the following categories: maintenance, miscellaneous, pedestrian, positive protection and worker safety, then by date from newest to oldest within those categories.
Guidance description: This field guide provides field personnel with introductory guidance on installation and removal methods for work zones.
Date published: August 2008
View and download the document in English or Spanish
Guidance description: This pocket guide is designed to serve as a field reference on established traffic control guidelines for maintenance activities and other short-term operations.
Date published: October 2008
Guidance description: This brochure outlines examples and typical applications for maintenance activities.
Date published: 2009
Guidance description: Brochure that provides a summary of the Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule guidance for work zone impacts assessment.
Date published: 2008
View and download the document
Guidance description: This document introduces innovative merging strategies and their benefits, including when and how to implement the various strategies.
Date published: November 2012
View the guidance on WorkZoneSafety.org
Guidance description: Outlines how to implement temporary markings for work zone applications along with guidance on when to use.
Date published: January 2014
Guidance description: The objectives of this document are to introduce portable changeable message sign (PCMS) exploratory strategies in work zones and convey their benefits and limitations, to discuss when and how to implement the PCMS strategies, and to present other key aspects to consider before and during implementation.
Date published: September 2013
Guidance description: Provides information on configurations, benefits, limitations and when and how to implement temporary rumble strips in work zones.
Guidance description: This document provides details from state departments of transportation (DOTs) on how to calculate pacing requirements for LE personnel operating to assist work zone installers or for phase changes.
Date published: July 2013
Guidance description: This document provides a procedure for designing a nighttime lighting system in work zones where no formal lighting plan exists.
Date published: April 2013
Guidance description: Provides detail on sound inspection processes for temporary traffic control (TTC) along with risks for not adequately inspecting TTC.
Guidance description: Provides typical applications and considerations for LE in work zones. There is also a 2009 addendum on the Work Zone Safety Clearinghouse.
Guidance description: This document outlines detailed implementation and noteworthy practices for Portable Temporary Rumble Strips (PTRS) in work zones as per the requirements of three transportation agencies: Virginia, Missouri, and California. The document covers the application of PTRS in work zones, especially during flagging operations. It also provides a requirements comparison across the three featured owner-agencies. This is a supplement to the 2013 ATSSA Guideline on PTRS.
Date published: 2021
Guidance description: The roundabout information contained in this document has been compiled from a number of source documents from state agencies and research organizations.
Guidance description: The purpose of this document is to highlight strategies that can help reduce the work zone congestion that increases back-of-queue crash risk.
Date published: June 2009
Guidance description: The Work Zone Road Safety Audit Guidelines and Prompt Lists provides a process to individuals or agencies for performing formal work zone safety examinations to improve the safety of workers and all roadway users. This document includes guidance on conducting Road Safety Audits (RSA) at all phases of work zone planning, design and deployment, and considerations for each project phase.
Guidance description: This guide is designed to assist highway agencies in developing techniques and strategies to successfully collect and analyze work zone safety-related data for the purpose of making work zones safer for motorists and workers. This guidance shares work zone safety-related data analysis methods that are effective in identifying safety improvement strategies and developing work zone crash reduction programs and analysis techniques. Methods that are currently being implemented in the United States are included in the guide to empower work zone safety practitioners to effectively reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities.
Date published: January 2013
Guidance description: The purpose of this guidance booklet is to introduce the concept of performance measures and performance data collection for work zone safety.
Date published: 2010
Guidance description: This guide is handed out at the ATSSA pedestrian-related courses and provides detail on Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements and application of each.
Date published: Fall 2012
Guidance description: This brochure provides safety tips and cues for pedestrians to follow while walking through work zones.
Date published: 2020
Guidance description: This guidance sheet serves to remind temporary traffic control (TTC) Designers and construction personnel of the importance of pedestrian access and stress the need for pedestrian safety.
Date published: 2011
Guidance description: This updated checklist summarizes existing resources and provides work zone pedestrian access considerations for the planning, design, and construction phases of a project. The detailed checklist is invaluable for determining and accommodating the requirements of pedestrians in work zones, including specific ADA requirements for pedestrian routes.
Guidance description: Provides detail on the University of Florida design for LPCB.
Date published: September 2015
Guidance description: Guideline on protective vehicles, moveable barrier, and mobile barriers for positive protection.
Guidance description: This field guide provides guidelines on the use of shadow vehicles and Truck Mounted Attenuators (TMAs) in highway work zones.
Guidance description: Outlines types of positive protection devices and their use.
Guidance description: Serves as a toolbox to describe various types of positive protection devices currently in use and provides guidance on where and how each is typically used.
Guidance description: Provides a description of the AFAD along with guidance on how to apply and benefits associated with use on two-lane roads.
Date published: July 2012
Guidance description: This document is a brochure with photos on high visibility apparel that outlines examples of quality of apparel.
Date published: May 2008
Guidance description: This field guide provides contractors, field personnel, inspectors and engineers with guidance on selecting high-visibility safety apparel.
Guidance description: Poster describing types of high visibility apparel and how to determine appropriateness based on application.
View and download the poster
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Guidance description: This document provides a checklist and overview of pedestrian-related considerations during planning, design and construction phases for a project.
For more information about Grant training or to request hardcopies of these Guidance Documents, please call 540-368-1701 or email grants@atssa.com.
FHWA Work Zone Safety Grant #DTFH61-16-RA-00018
American Traffic Safety Services Association represents the roadway safety infrastructure industry with effective legislative advocacy, traffic control safety training and a far-reaching member partnership.