Standards Development

Scope

This British Standard specifies requirements and tests (see Note) for rigid and flexible portable signs, barriers, self-supporting portable signs, “Stop/Go” and “Stop/Works” signs, school crossing patrol signs, flat traffic delineators, flap signs, pedestrian crossing and refuge beacons, internally illuminated posts, twin amber flashing light units, non-retroreflecting road studs and retroreflective self-righting bollards.

Non-retroreflecting road studs incorporating an active light source are not covered by this standard.

NOTE The tests given in this standard are suitable for both initial type testing and production testing.

Purpose

What is the standard intended to achieve?

Before CEN began developing harmonised standards, road circulation fixtures were specified in BS 873. There were several parts to that standard covering a selection of devices. CEN chose to harmonise only a few of these devices (resulting is BS EN 12899 and BS EN 13422). The government and BSI then decided to develop BS 8442 to handle and update specifications for all the other devices not being dealt with in CEN standards.

The requested amendment to the currently published version of BS 8442 is intended to correct an omission of colour requirements for yellow prismatic retroreflective sheeting. This omission limits the choice of retroreflective materials from which temporary retroreflective road signs can be constructed.

Retroreflectivity enables safety-critical road signs identifying changes and dangers at road works to be visible to drivers at night. This type of reflection is achieved via controlling the direction of light returning to drivers.

This standard is intended to set out performance requirements for each of the retroreflective coloured areas used on these signs. Thus there needs to be both colorimetric requirements and retroreflectivity requirements. But in the case of yellow prismatic sheetings there are only retroreflectivity requirements within BS 8442. This omission limits the choice of materials that can be used by industry to construct compliant temporary road signs. The Department for Transport allows prismatic yellow to be used on temporary road signs. However, if a sign is made using prismatic yellow it is not in the fullest sense compliant with BS 8442. It is for this reason that the unintended omission be corrected.

BS 8442 covers products used on the public highway that are crucial to road safety. Currently over 160,000 people per year are injured on British roads costing the economy over £15 billion. It is therefore essential that these safety-related products be correctly manufactured and specified to a current standard.

Many other standards and legislation that BS 8442 refers to have been updated and in some cases classes have changed, so the consequential revisions needed in BS 8442 include:

• references to lower performance for digital printing will be removed now the technology is fully up to the standard of other methods;

• the Belisha Beacon Halo and other conspicuity aids are specified to avoid confusion to road users;

• optical performance of school crossings and beacons; and

• the references to IP ratings of bollards are updated.

All of these improvements will impact positively on the safety of products on the highways and for road users.

Who are the intended users? (Please give job roles and industry sectors)

- public sector highway authorities

- owners of private infrastructure

- local authority and consultant asset managers

- consulting engineers

- materials engineers

- test houses

- test equipment manufacturers

- specialist highway contractors

- Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT)

- Association of Consultancy and Engineering (ACE)

Why will users adopt the standard?

They will adopt this Standard to ensure temporary signs being specified and used comply with the national de facto legislative BS 8442. It is also cited in the Specification for Highway Works which is being updated to include BS 8442 (see TfL endorsement); the “Red Book”; and the Code of Practice for Safety at Street Work and Road Works.

Why might they not use it?

There is no other document that can be used.