Narrator: Welcome to MDOT's training video, How to Safely Regulate Traffic in Michigan.
Viewing this video is the first step to becoming a qualified traffic regulator in Michigan.
You must also read the Traffic Regulator Instruction Manual within 12 months prior to traffic regulating.
Your life and the lives of others depend upon you.
Traffic regulators protect personnel and provide safe,
courteous, and authoritative direction to motorists passing through the work zone.
It's a full-time job. A moment's distraction or careless use of a sign
puts people in jeopardy. Diligence is the key in preventing traffic crashes in your work zone.
The clothing and safety gear you wear and use in the work zone are an important part of a traffic regulator's job.
They allow you to be both effective and safe.
A shirt and full-length pants are the proper dress.
Do not wear shorts, tank tops, or halter tops.
A neat, professional appearance assists you in gaining full concentration from the motorists
and will make you more effective on the job.
Traffic regulators must wear clean, high-visibility safety apparel
that meets the American National Standards Institute 107 class II standards.
Check the label. If it doesn't say ANSI 107 class II or higher,
you cannot wear it. Hard hats, safety glasses, and safety boots,
meeting the MIOSHA Construction Safety Standards Part 6, Personal Protective Equipment are also required.
It is also important to use the proper standard equipment when regulating traffic.
This equipment includes a standard octagonal stop/slow or stop/stop paddle
and a two-way radio system.
The radio system shall not be attached to a vehicle.
Be sure these devices meet the standards spelled out in the most current version
of MDOT's Traffic Regulators Instruction Manual.
The use of flags is only allowed in emergency situations as defined in Part 6
of the Michigan Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
Before stepping on the roadway, it's important for traffic regulators to be mentally focused.
Confidence and a professional attitude are the keys to job success.
They enable you to let motorists know that you're in charge of the situation.
This will help you maintain a safe and orderly flow of traffic.
Remain calm. Never signal traffic in a hasty or frantic manner. Excitement is contagious.
Your job is to regulate traffic, not to assist the crew.
Don't watch construction operations beyond what's necessary to direct traffic.
Every project and work zone is unique.
We will give you some basic rules to follow when selecting your location.
As a traffic regulator, it is your job to obtain your assigned traffic regulator station from the foreman or supervisor.
Proper layout of the traffic control, including the proper placement of the regulator within the sequence, is extremely important.
This helps avoid motorist confusion as they approach the work zone.
Be sure to check out the location before the work begins.
Understanding your surroundings will allow you to properly place yourself,
but if you are ever unsure about your placement, please ask your foreman or supervisor for clarification.
Remember, you must be clearly visible at all times. Don't turn your back to traffic,
and never place yourself in the path of oncoming traffic.
Choosing the optimal position is the key to being able to safely maintain traffic, and to keeping workers and motorists safe.
You must also have a clearly defined escape route in case a motorist invades your traffic regulator station.
You should stand stationary on the shoulder of the road,
adjacent to the travel lane that is being controlled. Always be sure that you are facing traffic.
When regulating traffic, you want to stay out of the lane that is open to traffic.
You also want to be a minimum of 10 feet in front of the lighted arrow panel
to make sure that you are clearly visible to approaching traffic.
You should hold your sign paddle in one hand and use the other hand to give the proper regulator signals to motorists.
You will also use this hand to communicate with other regulators using the required two-way radio system.
It is important to coordinate your movements with the sign, signals and radio
to be comfortable for you to safely do your job.
To recap, let's take a look at what we've covered when selecting your location.
Never stand in the open lane of traffic,
stand so that you can maintain eye contact with the driver of the first vehicle,
never cross the centerline into the open lane of traffic,
stand a minimum of 10 feet in front of the arrow board, and if you're not sure, ask your supervisor.
If the arrow board is placed in the lane as opposed to on the shoulder due to roadway features,
such as curbed roadway or limited shoulder, you will have to adjust your position
to make sure you are standing in line with the arrow board, as you can see here.
When you are stopping traffic, aim the Stop paddle face toward approaching traffic.
Extend your arm away from your body so the Stop is clearly visible.
Your other arm should also be extended,
with the palm of your hand open above your shoulder level facing traffic.
Try to make direct eye contact with the driver of the first stopped vehicle in order to maintain their attention.
Once the first vehicle is stopped and in a controlled position,
communicate that to the other traffic regulators using your hand-held two-way radio.
If the approaching motorist doesn't appear to be stopping, point at the driver to get their attention,
then provide the stop hand signal along with the Stop face of the paddle.
Make clear and precise signals that can be easily understood.
To release traffic, you must visually determine that all traffic and work operations are clear of the travel lane.
Confirm with the other regulators that their traffic is stopped and under control.
Face the traffic you are releasing, with your arm extended horizontally away from your body,
turn the paddle face from Stop to Slow and aim the Slow face at the traffic you are releasing.
Motion left to right with your free arm for traffic to proceed.
Make sure that your free arm is fully extended and you are moving your arm across your body
in a deliberate and consistent motion.
To alert motorists traveling through the work zone to slow down,
keep the slow face toward traffic. With your free arm extended,
motion slowly in and up and down manner, keeping your palm facing the ground.
Now that we have discussed the proper clothing, safety gear, your position within the work zone,
and how to correctly direct traffic, we need to cover one very common situation you will face as a traffic regulator.
You may be asked to be an intermediate traffic regulator.
Your job will be to assist motorists who want to enter the work zone
from an intersecting road or driveway within the work zone itself.
You must be in visual or radio contact with other regulators to coordinate safe travel through the work zone.
You should never stop the mainline traffic.
Radio communication with other regulators will help you do your job safely,
as you can see in this example.
Radio: "Last car through is a green escort."
Traffic regulator: "Ok, I've got one more - blue Monte Carlo on the side road that is now going to be the last car."
Narrator: When regulating traffic at night,
the number one concern for you is to be seen and identified as a traffic regulator by approaching motorists.
At night, the lighting requirements must be maintained.
A minimum of 10 foot-candles is required at your traffic regulator station,
and the lighting needs to be set up in a way so that you are visible.
This lighting must not create a glare for you or the motorists approaching from either direction.
The light-level measurement must be taken with an approved light meter;
an app or program on your mobile device or cell phone is not acceptable.
A flashlight with a red glow cone may be used for additional visibility when regulating traffic at night.
All traffic control devices must be retro-reflective
and must meet the requirements set out in the most current edition of
Quality Guidelines for Temporary Traffic Control Devices and Features".
Your flashlight with a red glow cone is useful for getting the attention of motorists at a distance.
Slowly waive the light back and forth across the front of your legs
while displaying the Stop or Slow side of the paddle with the other hand.
When you become visible to motorists approaching your lit station, you can return to the standard hand signals.
For night time work, you should consider wearing Class III high-visibility apparel,
such as a vest with sleeves, or a Class II vest with Class E pants.
Retro-reflective gloves to increase your overall visibility are also an option.
There will be times when you encounter large vehicles that may obstruct the sightline between you and motorists.
If this occurs, you should do the following:
once you have the first vehicle stopped and controlled,
you can walk out toward the centerline to improve your line of sight.
You can never cross into the lane of open traffic.
Prior to releasing traffic, you should return to your original position
and then proceed to return to your normal traffic regulating operation.
You must always be ready for the special needs of emergency vehicles traveling through the work zone.
When you identify emergency vehicles approaching the work zone,
immediately communicate this information to all other traffic regulators.
Traffic regulator: "Heads up, heads up! We have a police car coming through the zone, heads up!"
Narrator: Coordinate the stoppage of all traffic entering the work zone
until you have established the needs of the emergency vehicle.
Remain calm and confidently control the current traffic at your station.
Give clear signals to the emergency vehicle to move through the work zone as soon as it is safe to do so.
Remember to always be prepared for more than one emergency vehicle.
Once these vehicles have moved completely through the work zone, the lead regulator starts the operation back up again.
While regulating traffic, you will encounter angry motorists.
You should be prepared for this ahead of time.
Always remain calm and continue to do your job.
Staying focused in this situation is the key to your safety and the safety of workers and other motorists.
Let's observe a regulator properly handling this situation.
Motorist: "Come on, what are you doing?"
Traffic regulator: "Stop, stop, Stop!
Intruder in the work zone, intruder in the work zone." [horn]
Traffic regulator: "Intruder in the work zone, intruder in the work zone." [horn]
Narrator: We hope this video helps you better understand how to safely regulate traffic in Michigan work zones.
Your job is vital for the safety of the work zone.
You are keeping workers and motorists safe. Remember to wear the proper clothing and safety gear.
Be sure that you are mentally focused and in the right location.
Calmly use the paddle sign and corresponding hand signals
to maintain order and safely guide motorists through the work zone.
Stay alert and use your radio to communicate with other regulators.
And remember, watching this video is only one part of becoming a qualified traffic regulator.
You must also read the Traffic Regulator Instruction Manual
within 12 months prior to traffic regulating.
You can get a copy of the Traffic Regulator Instruction Manual
and find other detailed helpful information on regulating traffic
at the web address on the screen.