Work-Zone Safety Orientation Online Course

Flagger holding a stop sign in a roadway work zone

This course offers a convenient opportunity for beginning, seasonal, and temporary construction, maintenance, and utility staff to learn about the fundamentals of work-zone safety before arriving at the job site. The course addresses many of the hazards inherent in road and street work and outlines how these dangers can be minimized to keep motorists, pedestrians, and employees safe.

The course provides work-zone employees with an understanding of the most basic aspects of safety in a work zone and encourages them to develop safe habits. It begins with how a worker should prepare before entering the work zone, and it doesn't end until the worker is off-site and out of the work-zone area.

Registration

Topics Covered

This five-module course covers the following topics:

  1. Introduction to work-zone safety (for all workers)
  2. Low-speed, low-volume streets
  3. Low-speed, high-volume streets
  4. High-speed, low-volume highways
  5. High-speed, high-volume highways

Note: Low speed is defined as a posted speed limit of 40 mph or less; high speed is 45 mph or greater. Low volume is defined as 400 ADT or vehicles per day; high volume is over 1,500 ADT or vehicles per day.

Who Should Take This Course

The course was designed for all workers whose responsibilities include working on public rights-of-way, including traffic lanes, shoulders, parking lanes, berms, sidewalks, and trails.

Accessing the Course

This training is offered via the course management system Canvas. Upon completing your online registration, you will receive an email confirmation. To access the course, please visit Canvas and login with your University of Minnesota internet ID and password. Once you have been enrolled, your course will appear on your Canvas dashboard.

If for any reason you do not have access to the course after enrolling, please contact Katherine Stanley at sell0146@umn.edu for assistance.

Technical Requirements

Canvas runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, or any other device with a modern web browser. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer work best for this course.

If you’re new to Canvas, see tips and resources for using the platform.

Credit

Students are eligible for 0.5 Roads Scholar Program Maintenance Certificate credit. To receive credit, please email your Certificate of Completion (received in Canvas upon course completion) to mnltap@umn.edu.

Sponsors

This course is sponsored by Minnesota LTAP at the University of Minnesota. Minnesota LTAP is sponsored by the Minnesota Local Road Research Board and the Federal Highway Administration.

Course curriculum was developed and compiled by SRF Consulting Group, Inc. in conjunction with a technical advisory panel of experts, including representatives from the Minnesota Department of Transportation.