Code of Practice replaced for road work sites

New guidance will see road work sites managed based on assessed risks, rather than the previous compliancebased approach, Civil Contractors New Zealand Chief Executive Alan Pollard says control around road work sites.

The existing Code of Practice is intended to be gradually phased out of contracts, with transition to the new Guide anticipated to be largely completed by July 2024.

Road workers are used to working in the road corridor and are well-placed to understand and manage the direct risks. This is a fundamental shift to the way we think about traffic management, so it’s not going to happen overnight. But companies are used to managing road work sites, so this change comes down to how we interpret new requirements in a practical sense.

Despite the case for change, these are significant updates and would take some time to embed, with the shift in thinking and practice requiring time and effort from civil construction companies.

Collaboration with clients in both the private and public sectors would be needed going forward, and CCNZ would be supporting members in addressing any transitional challenges with good technical guidance and advice, alongside a new Industry Steering Group stood up in March 2023 to support the implementation of the Guide, which had its first meeting on 18 April.

The New Zealand Guide to Temporary Traffic Management is available at https://www.nzta.govt.nz/ roads-and-rail/new-zealand-guide-to-temporary-traffic-management.