{"id":583,"date":"2026-03-05T14:56:52","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T14:56:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/devonhighways\/self-help\/training-in-road-maintenance-for-communities"},"modified":"2026-03-05T14:58:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T14:58:19","slug":"training-in-road-maintenance-for-communities","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/devonhighways\/self-help\/road-warden-scheme\/training-in-road-maintenance-for-communities","title":{"rendered":"Training in road maintenance for communities"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Training requirements vary depending on the type of work being carried out and whether the activity takes place on or near the live carriageway.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">All training requests must be submitted by the relevant council or community organisation to\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communityselfhelp@devon.gov.uk\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">communityselfhelp@devon.gov.uk<\/span><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Core training<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">We provide a short online\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Highway Safety Awareness<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0course for anyone volunteering to carry out small maintenance tasks on or near a road. This includes volunteers working under the\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Road Warden Scheme<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0or the\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Life on the Verge<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0project. The course introduces the common risks associated with roadside work and explains how to stay safe while working in the highway environment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Working on the live carriageway<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Under\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, anyone carrying out work on a road that is open to traffic must complete\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Signing, Lighting and Guarding<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0training (often referred to as \u201cChapter 8 training\u201d). This accredited course teaches volunteers how to correctly position temporary signs, cones, lights and barriers to protect themselves and road users.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If your organisation plans to carry out work on a live road, at least\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">one in every three<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0people working on site must hold this qualification. We fund this training up to\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a3355 per person<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, for up to\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">three people per organisation<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, with additional requests considered in exceptional circumstances.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Failure to attend booked training without sufficient notice may result in cost recovery.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Activity specific training<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Devon County Council provides method statements and guidance for a range of tasks included in the Road Warden Scheme, including:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Verge trimming and gully cleaning<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Weed clearance<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Finger post repairs<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Small drainage works<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-aria-posinset=\"5\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Sign cleaning<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-aria-posinset=\"6\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Filling potholes<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-aria-posinset=\"7\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Ploughing and siding out<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">These pages explain safe working methods, required equipment, and good practice for each activity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The work carried out under the Road Warden Scheme is designed to be simple, low\u2011risk and completed using\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">basic hand tools<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, with no requirement for specialist equipment. However, if a volunteer wishes to use\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">bladed power tools\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">(<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">such as hedge\u2011cutters, brush\u2011cutters or chainsaws) they must be able to demonstrate that they hold the\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">appropriate, nationally recognised qualifications<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0for the specific equipment they intend to use. This ensures the safety of the volunteer, the wider team and the public. Volunteers may be asked to provide evidence of their training or certification before granting approval to use such tools as part of any community maintenance activity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Training for activities outside of the Road Warden Scheme<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Training requirements vary depending on the type of work being carried out and whether the activity takes place on or near the live carriageway. All training requests must be submitted by the relevant council or community organisation to\u00a0communityselfhelp@devon.gov.uk &nbsp; Core training We provide a short online\u00a0Highway Safety Awareness\u00a0course for anyone volunteering to carry out small [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2961,"featured_media":0,"parent":525,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-583","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-04 14:40:23","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/devonhighways\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/devonhighways\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/devonhighways\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/devonhighways\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2961"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/devonhighways\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=583"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/devonhighways\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/583\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":586,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/devonhighways\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/583\/revisions\/586"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/devonhighways\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/devonhighways\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}