Legislation
*NEW* Federal Register -- Woker Visability
Federal Register--Indian Reservation Bridge Program NPRM
Federally Mandated Worker Visibility Regulation Summary
The Federal Highway Administration has enacted a worker visibility
regulation (Part 634; Title 23; Code of Federal Regulations) to decrease
the likelihood of worker fatalities or injuries from motor vehicles
while working within a right-of-way on Federal-aid-highways. This rule,
issued on November 18, 2006, will not become mandatory until November
24, 2008. The compliance period is to provide agencies, incident
responders, and contractor's sufficient time to purchase garments that
comply with the new standards.
The new regulation requires the wearing of high-visibility ANSI Class 2
or Class 3 safety garments by workers performing tasks within the
right-of-way on Federal-aid-highways. A worker is defined as those
people on foot whose duties place them within the right-of-way of a
Federal-aid highway, such as highway construction and maintenance
forces, survey crews, utility crews, responders to incidents, and law
enforcement personnel when directing traffic, investigating crashes, and
handling lane closures, obstructed roadways, and disasters.
Adopt-A-Highway workers, mowing crews, gardeners, etc. all will have to
wear the high-visibility clothing to be in compliance with the new rule.
The only exception will be law enforcement personnel during manhunts,
traffic stops and searches.
A Federal grant is available to help agencies purchase the required
safety clothing; it is the State and Community Highway Safety Grant
Program, Section 402, Chapter 4 of Title 23. For details see:
Section 402 SAFETEA-LU Fact Sheet
For Part 634; Title 23; Code of Federal Regulations see:
Federal Register
For Federal Functional Classification Maps of urban and rural roads in
Iowa see below. Federal-aid routes are shown as collectors and above,
and for rural areas they are shown as major collectors and above.
Office of System Planning Federal Functional Classification Maps - Urban and Rural