Controlling the Site Perimeter — Fencing, Gates, and Keeping People Out

The public can't avoid a hazard they don't know is there. Your perimeter has to read as 'do not enter' from the outside:

• Fencing or hard barrier around the active work area, kept continuous — no gaps, no pulled-loose panels, no propped-open sections.
• Danger and Caution signs posted where people approach (see the signs talk) so the message matches the barrier.
• Barricades conforming to MUTCD Part 6 (§1926.202) where the boundary runs along a street, sidewalk, or pedestrian route.
• Special attention where the public is most vulnerable — near schools, homes, parks, and anywhere children are around. An open site is an attractive nuisance.

A fence is only as good as its gates. Every opening in the perimeter is a place the boundary can fail:

• Keep the number of access points to the minimum you can work with. Fewer openings means fewer places to watch.
• Separate people from vehicles wherever you can — a pedestrian gate away from the truck gate keeps foot traffic out of swinging booms and backing trucks.
• Gates stay closed and secured when not actively in use. A gate chocked open 'just for a minute' is how the public gets in.
• Lock the site down at the end of the shift. Unattended sites get trespassers at night — secure gates, close covers, and lower or barricade anything that could hurt someone.

A perimeter that was right on Monday can be wrong by Thursday. Excavation opens up near the fence, a delivery lane shifts, a phase finishes and a new hazard starts. Access control is a daily field task, not a one-time setup.

Cross-reference the dedicated talks for the pieces of this: barricades and channelizing devices, pedestrian walkways, and the daily inspection that keeps all of it honest. If the boundary no longer matches the hazard behind it, fix the boundary before the work continues.