HWY/Surface Works/TBT-HWY-010

Safety Zone and Buffer Zone Requirements

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Safety Zone and Buffer Zone Requirements

Toolbox Talk Record

Ref: TBT-HWY-010  |  Issue: 1  |  Date: March 2026
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What?

  • 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.

Why?

Prevent fatalitiesSafety and buffer zones are the physical space between workers and errant vehicles — reducing them costs lives.
Legal standardGD 308 and Chapter 8 set mandatory minimum dimensions that must not be compromised on site.
Incursion protectionVehicles 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
  • DON'T enter the safety zone for any reason during live working operations
  • DON'T reduce zone dimensions to create more working space without approval
  • DON'T store materials, plant, or equipment in the safety or buffer zones
  • DON'T position yourself between live traffic and the IPV at any time
  • DON'T assume zone sizes are the same for every road — they vary by speed
  • DON'T start work until the full TM layout including zones is verified in place
  • DON'T remove or reposition cones defining zone edges without authorisation
  • DON'T ignore displaced cones or signs that compromise zone integrity
  • DON'T stand in the buffer zone area ahead of or behind the IPV
  • DON'T become complacent about zones on long-duration highway works operations

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