Safety Zone and Buffer Zone Requirements

Safety zones and buffer zones separate highway workers from live traffic within a road works layout.
The safety zone is the minimum clear area between the traffic lane and the working space.
Buffer zones provide additional protection at the start and end of the works to absorb vehicle incursions.
Zone dimensions depend on road speed, traffic volume, and the type of road being worked on.
GD 308 and Chapter 8 specify minimum safety zone widths for different speed categories.
Lateral safety zones must be maintained between live traffic lanes and the edge of the working space.
Longitudinal buffer zones at the upstream and downstream ends absorb vehicle intrusion impacts.
An Impact Protection Vehicle (IPV) is typically positioned in the longitudinal buffer zone.
Workers must remain within the designated working space at all times and never enter the safety zone.
Inadequate safety zones have been a factor in multiple fatal incidents involving road workers in the UK.

Prevent fatalities	Safety and buffer zones are the physical space between workers and errant vehicles — reducing them costs lives.
Legal standard	GD 308 and Chapter 8 set mandatory minimum dimensions that must not be compromised on site.
Incursion protection	Vehicles leaving the carriageway need distance to decelerate before reaching workers — buffer zones provide this.

Do

Don't

Confirm safety zone and buffer zone dimensions from the approved TM layout
Measure and mark zone boundaries before work begins in the traffic management
Position the IPV in the longitudinal buffer zone as specified in the layout plan
Remain within the designated working space at all times during the shift
Report any encroachment of traffic into the safety zone immediately
Attend the pre-work briefing covering zone dimensions and escape routes
Check that cones and barriers defining the zone edges are correctly spaced
Inspect zone integrity after any sign strike, cone displacement, or high wind
Use the escape route identified in the briefing if a vehicle breaches the zone
Ensure all operatives understand which areas are working space and which are zones

See also: Chapter 8 Signing and Guarding | IPV (Impact Protection Vehicle) Use

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