Road work at night: lights, stripes, and your vest's class

Our high-visibility talk covered wearing the vest and being seen by operators and drivers. Tonight is about the dark. In daylight, the bright yellow-green or orange color of a vest does most of the work. At night it does very little. What shows up in the headlights are the silver or reflective stripes. Those stripes are called retroreflective, and they bounce light straight back to the driver. If the stripes are caked with mud, cracked, or covered by a jacket, you are close to invisible until the car is almost on you. A worker in a dark hoodie next to a dark truck is worse.

For flaggers, OSHA uses the federal traffic manual. The manual says flaggers, day or night, wear a vest or jacket labeled ANSI 107 Class 2 or Class 3, with reflective stripes that can be seen from at least 1,000 feet. At night, it says Class 3 should be considered. The gear has to be made so drivers can clearly tell it is a person. The flagger station has to be lit at night. The manual calls for Class 2 or 3 on every worker near traffic, and your site or contract may require it too. OSHA's lighting rule says the work area has to be lit to set minimums while work goes on.

Here is how we set up for night work. Check the label inside your vest for the class, and wear Class 3 if you flag or work right by traffic. Put the vest on over your coat, never under it. Wipe the stripes clean, and swap out any vest that is faded, torn, or cracked. Pants or gaiters with stripes help drivers see your legs move. Light the flagger station and the work area before dark, not after. Aim light plants down at the work, not into the drivers' eyes, because glare blinds the same people you need to see you. At night, the STOP/SLOW paddle has to be reflective too. Stay in the light.