Danger - workplace transport

The Government's 'Revitalising Health and Safety Strategy Statement' has at its heart some major new targets for Great Britain's Health and Safety system. These are:

• to reduce the number of working days lost per 100,000 workers from work-related injury and ill health by 30 per cent by 2010;
• to reduce the incidence rate of fatal and major injury accidents by 10 per cent by 2010;
• to reduce the incidence rate of cases of work related ill health by 20 per cent by 2010;
• to achieve half of these targets by 2004.

As part of the revitalising initiative the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) agreed that efforts to reduce workplace transport accidents would be one of eight 'priority programmes' within its strategic plan.

A discussion document 'Preventing Workplace Transport Accidents' was published by the HSC earlier this year which sets out its understanding of the problems associated with workplace transport; the activities already planned on the subject; and, to begin the discussion process, some suggestions for possible further action. FTA's response to the document was made after detailed discussions with members at meetings of Regional Freight Councils and National Council. The overall thrust of the response was that separation of pedestrians from vehicles, minimising and controlling reversing and better management systems can address many of the issues raised in the document. In the main, the view from FTA was that compliance with, and focus on, existing statutory requirements and safety management best practice, rather than new specific controls and regulations, was the best means of achieving improvement in this important area.

FTA has now established a workplace transport working group that will focus on developing and collating industry best practice as well as having a vital role to play regarding the development of all other workplace transport related issues. The group will report back to National Council on a regular basis.

Workplace transport ranges from agricultural machinery to lift trucks and is found everywhere from construction sites and quarries, retail warehouses and transport distribution centres, to the local DIY store. According to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), on average around 100 people are killed and 2,500 people are injured each year by workplace transport. Accidents involving vehicles in the workplace account for a disproportionately large number of fatalities at work.

Provisional figures for 2000/01 show that accidents involving workplace transport were as follows:

Since 1996 HSE has been trying to come to grips with the health and safety problems represented by these figures and it launched a workplace transport safety campaign with the publication of the document 'Workplace Transport Safety ­ Guidance for Employers', backed up by the video 'Danger! Vehicles at Work'. To coincide with this FTA ran a series of seminars and put on a new training course aimed at addressing the management issues on workplace transport safety. However, the statistics remain bad for the industry. Therefore, HSE is trying to understand the underlying causes of the incidents and to identify those events and behaviours that are needed to reduce 'this dreadful toll'.

HSE's Field Operations Directorate will, over the next three years, focus a significant proportion of planned inspection time on workplace transport. Inspectors who visit premises will be seeking the answers to questions about how the person in control manages the risks from transport in and around their premises.

Work by field inspectors on all planned visits will build on that carried out in previous years in order to achieve effective action on the key issues.

• Segregating pedestrians from vehicles either by barriers or distance: this remains in HSE's view the best control measure in most circumstances.
• Minimising and controlling reversing: inspectors will focus on the provision of one-way systems and the possible fitment and use of CCTV on appropriate vehicles.

A third element has now been added to the HSE targets for action.

• Putting in place management systems to provide adequate supervision of driving behaviour, eg ensuring use of seat belts where roll-over protection systems are required (as in lift trucks) and ensuring observance of site speed limits.

In addition to this, work specific to the agriculture and construction industries is being developed as part of separate priority programmes. This work includes controlling the risks from slewing machinery, the use of vehicles on slopes and maintenance of tractor and trailer brakes. HSE is also working on a range of other issues such as:

• liaison with the road freight transport industry;
• developing guidance on the use of CCTV on road-going vehicles;
• reducing the risks of falls from vehicles;
• collecting information on the costs of workplace transport accidents.

In the 'Preventing Workplace Transport Accidents' discussion document the following issues and questions are raised:

• Better management HSE specifically ask if, in addition to the requirement in the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations to carry out written risk assessments, should there be a specific requirement for carrying out a risk assessment of workplace use and movements? Is there a case for an advice centre on workplace transport management issues?
• Better layout and design HSE ask how should site transportation planning be addressed?
• Better housekeeping HSE ask can ground conditions and traffic routes be improved and is there a case for more supervision, choice of better tyres etc?
• Better communication HSE state that 'things can be done to improve co-ordination/liaison between visiting drivers and those in control of the workplaces they visit'. HSE then ask can a common system of communication be adopted?
• Better drivers HSE ask should there be more formal training and refresher training? Should industry be more selective about who can drive workplace transport vehicles? Should upper and lower age limits be set and should there be a specific law about this?
  HSE also ask if driver fatigue is a significant problem and should limits be put on when people can drive workplace transport vehicles? (One idea suggested is to limit the times of such driving to the first few hours of a shift.
  Should there be an accreditation scheme for all workplace transport training run by UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service)?
• Better vehicles HSE asks some searching questions here including: would a standard layout for the controls of workplace transport vehicles help?
  Would improved vehicle design help vehicle and load stability?
  Would controls on the length of working life of vehicles be helpful
• Better maintenance HSE state that the proper training of maintenance personnel is crucial.
• Safer pedestrians HSE state that although separation of pedestrians from vehicles is a key priority, where it is unavoidable, better management and control of pedestrians working close to vehicles is critical.

Further help

FTA runs two day 'Health and Safety in the Depot and Warehouse' courses at its Wadhurst and Leamington Spa training centres. This type of course can also be delivered on an in-company basis.

In addition, the following training can be provided at members' premises:

• Lift truck operator (RTITB accredited)
• Lorry loader crane (CITB - CTA accredited)
• Skip loader lorry (CITB - CTA accredited)
• Yard shunter and reversing banksman
• Overhead travelling crane vehicle loading and securing

For further details on, or to book any of the above courses please contact the FTA Member Service Centre on 01892 552222.

Last updated: Tue Nov 1 15:00:25 2005