Be seen by the operator and the driver
PPE 5 min 29 CFR 1926.201 · 29 CFR 1926.95
Why it matters
A flagger in a dull shirt blends into the dirt, the trucks, and the shade. So does a person walking behind a machine. A red or orange warning garment lets drivers see the flagger. The rest of the crew wears the high-vis vest this site requires and stays out of the equipment path.
The talk
Trucks are backing to the building. A loader is turning in the mud. You need to cross behind it to grab a bundle of stakes. From the cab you are a dark shape against a dark pile. The operator is watching the mirrors, the load, and the person guiding the move. The operator is not watching the gap you think is obvious. Out at the road, the flagger stands in dust and shade while drivers watch the haul road. They need to pick the flagger out from the dirt and the trucks. If they cannot see that person, they do not know where to stop.
A flagger wears a red or orange warning garment so drivers can see them. That is 1926.201. Everyone else stays out of the equipment path and wears the high-vis vest the site requires. Do not trade the vest for a dark hoodie because the morning is cold. Put the vest on over the coat. Stay out of the swing and out of the backup path. Before you walk behind a machine, make eye contact with the operator. A wave that the operator did not return is not eye contact. If you cannot see the operator's face, you do not step behind that machine. Wait until it is stopped and the operator knows you are there.
Put the vest on before you walk out to the work today. If you are flagging, the garment is red or orange. You are the person the drivers are supposed to see. If you are not flagging, you still wear the vest the site requires, and you stay out of the equipment path. Before anyone crosses behind a loader, a truck, or a lift, stop and get the operator's eyes. Wait until they show you that they saw you. If a vest is torn, caked so the color is gone, or still in the truck, fix that before you walk the haul road. Tell the foreman if someone on the crew does not have a vest.
Key points
- A flagger wears a red or orange warning garment so drivers can see them.
- Everyone else wears the high-vis vest the site requires.
- Stay out of the equipment path, the swing, and the backup path.
- Make eye contact with the operator before you walk behind a machine.
- A wave the operator did not return is not eye contact.
- Put the vest on over a coat. Do not swap it for a dark hoodie.
- If a vest is missing or caked so the color is gone, fix that before you walk out.
Do this
- Wear a red or orange warning garment if you are the flagger.
- Wear the high-vis vest the site requires.
- Stay out of the swing and the backup path.
- Get the operator's eyes before you step behind a machine.
- Put the vest on before you walk where equipment is moving.
Do not do this
- Do not flag in a dull shirt with no red or orange warning garment.
- Do not walk behind a machine before the operator sees you.
- Do not treat your own wave as eye contact if the operator did not look at you.
- Do not leave the vest in the truck while you work around equipment.
- Do not step into the backup path to save a few steps.
Talk about it
- Who is flagging today, and is the warning garment red or orange?
- Where will machines back up, and how do we stay out of that path?
- What will the operator do to show they see us before we pass behind?
Listens with this phone's voice. Nothing is sent out.
Send to the crew
The crew link opens the talk so each person can read it and sign on their own phone.
Scan at the jobsite. It opens the crew sign-off.