Night Traffic Management

Night traffic management involves installing, maintaining, and removing temporary signing and guarding during darkness.
Reduced driver visibility at night means traffic management must be more conspicuous with enhanced lighting and reflective materials.
All traffic management operatives working at night must wear Class 3 hi-vis clothing with enhanced reflective strips.
Illuminated signs, retroreflective cones, and lit arrow boards are essential components of night traffic management layouts.
Vehicle-mounted crash cushions and impact protection vehicles are critical on high-speed roads during night operations.
Installation and removal of traffic management at night is the highest-risk phase — operatives are exposed to traffic in darkness.
Driver behaviour changes at night — reduced traffic volumes lead to higher speeds, and impaired or fatigued drivers are more common.
Lighting of the work area must be sufficient for workers to carry out tasks safely without creating glare for approaching drivers.
Communication between the traffic management team and the works crew must use radios — verbal signals are unreliable in darkness.
Fatigue management is essential for night TM operatives who carry out physically demanding work during unsocial hours.

Invisible workers	Workers without enhanced reflective clothing are invisible to drivers at night — Class 3 hi-vis with reflective strips is mandatory.
Higher speeds	Quieter roads at night encourage faster driving — a vehicle striking a worker at higher speed is more likely to cause a fatality.
Installation exposure	Setting up and removing TM at night exposes operatives to live traffic in the dark — it is the most dangerous moment of the shift.

Do

Don't

Wear Class 3 hi-vis clothing with enhanced reflective strips for all night TM work.
Use illuminated signs, retroreflective cones, and lit arrow boards in all layouts.
Deploy impact protection vehicles on high-speed roads before night works begin.
Install and remove traffic management using the safest sequence to minimise exposure.
Light the work area sufficiently without creating glare for approaching drivers.
Use radios for all communication between the TM team and the works crew.
Monitor driver behaviour and report any concerns about speeding or near misses.
Follow fatigue management procedures for night shift traffic management operations.
Check all TM equipment is correctly positioned and visible throughout the shift.
Brief the team on the night-specific risks and enhanced precautions before starting.

DON'T work at night without Class 3 hi-vis with reflective strips at all times.
DON'T use non-illuminated signs or standard cones for night traffic management.
DON'T work on high-speed roads at night without impact protection vehicles deployed.
DON'T expose yourself to live traffic unnecessarily during TM setup and removal.
DON'T create driver glare from work area lighting aimed towards approaching traffic.
DON'T rely on shouting or hand signals — use radios for all night communication.
DON'T assume drivers can see you at night — enhanced visibility is the minimum standard.
DON'T work through fatigue — night shift TM requires alertness for personal survival.
DON'T leave displaced or damaged TM equipment in place — replace it immediately.
DON'T skip the night-specific briefing — darkness changes every aspect of the risk.

See also: Night Working Safety Awareness | Chapter 8 Signing and Guarding

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