Friday, 7 August 2026
A new Pavement Work Tip on sprayed sealing aftercare, together with four updated resources covering nozzle selection, binder sampling, dust suppression and binder cutting practices, provides road agencies and contractors with practical guidance to improve pavement quality, reduce defects and support longer-lasting sprayed sealing outcomes.
The work tips have been developed by Austroads in partnership with the Australian Flexible Pavement Association (AfPA) to support consistent practice and help practitioners make informed decisions in the field.
Together, these resources address practical challenges encountered before, during and after surfacing works, helping practitioners improve construction quality, reduce defects, enhance safety and achieve better long-term pavement performance.
Ross Guppy, Austroads Transport Infrastructure Program Manager, said the work tips are designed to provide clear, accessible guidance that can be readily applied on site.
“They translate industry knowledge and experience into practical guidance that helps practitioners make informed decisions in the field, supporting consistent practices across jurisdictions.”
The new Work Tip 58: Sprayed Sealing Aftercare highlights the critical activities that occur after a seal has been applied, including inspections, traffic management, weather considerations, sweeping and record keeping. The guidance recognises that a successful sprayed seal depends not only on correct construction, but also on effective aftercare that protects both the pavement and road users during the curing period.
Updated Work Tip 14: Sprayed Sealing – Best Practice for Cutting Back Hot Binders provides practical advice on selecting cutter rates based on pavement temperature, traffic conditions, weather and site-specific factors. The guidance helps practitioners optimise binder performance while reducing the risk of issues such as flushing, stripping and premature seal failure.
Updated Work Tip 33: Sprayed Sealing – Selection of Spraying Nozzles focuses on the selection, configuration and maintenance of spraying nozzles, recognising their critical role in achieving accurate and uniform binder application rates. Consistent spray application is fundamental to delivering quality sprayed seals and reducing construction defects.
Updated Work Tip 39: Dust Suppression with Bitumen Emulsion provides guidance on reducing dust generation on unsealed roads, haul roads and construction sites. The resource outlines practical approaches that can reduce pavement material loss, lower maintenance requirements and improve operating conditions for road users.
Updated Work Tip 56: Taking Representative Samples of Bituminous Binders from Road Tankers helps practitioners obtain representative samples for testing and quality assurance. The guidance covers contamination prevention, sampling procedures, labelling and storage requirements to support confidence in test results and pavement performance outcomes.
Download the work tips
- Work Tip 14: Sprayed Sealing – Best Practice for Cutting Back Hot Binders
- Work Tip 33: Sprayed Sealing – Selection of Spraying Nozzles
- Work Tip 39: Dust Suppression with Bitumen Emulsion
- Work Tip 56: Taking Representative Samples of Bituminous Binders from Road Tankers
- Work Tip 58: Sprayed Sealing Aftercare