Compliance

FHWA Worker Visibility Rule (23 CFR 634)

FHWA's page on the federal worker visibility rule, which requires high-visibility safety apparel meeting ANSI/ISEA 107 for workers on federal-aid highway rights-of-way. Even on private lots, this rule is the accepted benchmark for what a hi-vis vest or shirt should be. Owners buying crew apparel and foremen enforcing it should read this.

OSHA Hazard Communication Hub

OSHA's hazard communication page covering labels, safety data sheets, pictograms, written programs, and training. Sealers, primers, crack sealants, solvents, and deicers are all chemicals your crews handle, so a HazCom program applies to most pavement contractors. The page also links to English and Spanish QuickCards.

OSHA HazCom Pictogram QuickCard (PDF)

A one-page OSHA QuickCard showing the nine hazard pictograms used on chemical labels and what each one means. New crew members can learn the symbols in a few minutes and then read a sealer or solvent label with more confidence. Page two of the same file is the Spanish version.

OSHA Heat Exposure Hub

OSHA's main page on working in outdoor and indoor heat, with links to prevention, planning, first aid, and enforcement information. Sealcoating, crack sealing, and striping crews work on dark pavement in direct sun, so this is the starting point for any heat program. Owners and foremen can use it to build a written heat plan; crew members can use it to learn the warning signs.

OSHA Heat Exposure QuickCard (PDF)

A one-page OSHA QuickCard on protecting yourself and co-workers from heat exposure, covering symptoms, prevention, and what to do in an emergency. It fits on a clipboard or in a glove box and is a good handout for a heat toolbox talk. A Spanish edition is listed separately.

OSHA Heat-Related Illnesses and First Aid

OSHA's explanation of heat rash, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke, with the signs to watch for and the first aid steps to take. Every crew member should know these signs because heat stroke can be fatal and the affected worker often cannot recognize it in themselves. Print or bookmark this for the truck.

OSHA Heat: Protecting New Workers

OSHA page focused on the elevated heat risk for workers in their first week on the job or returning after time away. Pavement crews add seasonal and new hands every spring, so foremen should read this before onboarding anyone. It explains how to ramp up exposure gradually rather than putting a new worker on a full shift on day one.

OSHA Heat: Water. Rest. Shade.

OSHA's plain summary of the three basic heat controls: cool drinking water, scheduled rest breaks, and access to shade. This is the message to repeat at every summer toolbox talk. It is short enough to read aloud on site.

OSHA Highway Work Zones and Signs, Signals, and Barricades

OSHA's construction page on highway work zone safety, including traffic control devices, flagging, and worker protection from vehicles. Even parking-lot sealcoating and striping jobs face live traffic at entrances and drive lanes. Foremen setting up cones and signs should know what OSHA expects.

OSHA Occupational Noise Exposure Overview

OSHA's noise topic page with exposure limits, hearing conservation program requirements, and links to the standards. Blowers, saws, mills, compressors, and plows all put crews above the level where hearing protection is needed. Owners should read this to understand when a hearing program is required.

OSHA Outreach Training Program (10-Hour and 30-Hour Cards)

OSHA's official page explaining the Outreach Training Program, how 10-hour and 30-hour cards work, and how to find an authorized trainer. Many customers and public jobs ask for OSHA 10 or 30 cards, so owners should understand what the program is and is not. The page is free; the courses are delivered by authorized trainers, usually for a fee.

OSHA Outreach: Construction Industry 10-Hour and 30-Hour

OSHA's page for the construction version of the Outreach program, describing who the 10-hour and 30-hour construction courses are for and what topics they cover. New crew members typically take the 10-hour course and supervisors the 30-hour course. Use this page to decide which course fits each role.

OSHA Personal Protective Equipment Overview

OSHA's PPE topic page linking to eye, face, head, foot, hand, and hearing protection requirements and related standards. It is the reference for deciding what PPE a pavement task needs and who pays for it. Foremen can use it when writing the PPE line of a job hazard analysis.

OSHA Safety Data Sheets QuickCard (PDF)

A one-page OSHA QuickCard listing the 16 sections of a safety data sheet and what each contains. Crews use it to find first aid, PPE, and spill information quickly when opening an SDS for a sealer or solvent. Keep a copy with the SDS binder in the truck.