Workplace Safety Corner
Traffic Management
Not Just Vests & Flashing Lights!
By Andrew Osboldstone Noel Arnold & Associates
W
hen traffic management is mentioned, high visibility vests and flashing lights often come to mind. Whilst certainly these items are important in the quest to build a safe and compliant workplace, they are only part of the story in creating and implementing a successful Traffic Management Plan.
Challenge
Dealing with vehicle and pedestrian interaction in the workplace can be a significant challenge for employers and controllers of workplaces, with certain obligations and duties imposed by the various Health and Safety legislation across Australia. This includes providing safe systems of work, safe items of plant, suitably trained and qualified personnel, and safe access and egress to and from workplaces. Although much improvement has been achieved in managing traffic in our workplaces, it remains a major source of injuries. Effectively controlling the traffic related risk at work is the challenge for employers.
providing a safe workplace and safe systems of work as required by the OHS Act. (Source: Victoria WorkSafe.) This case highlights how important it is to implement and enforce a comprehensive Traffic Management Plan.
How big is the problem?
Key Risk Factors
Almost 10,000 compensable injuries were attributed to inadequate traffic management in Australian workplaces in FY05/06 (10% of total claims). (Source: Australian Safety and Compensation Council NOSI database). In Victoria from 1st January 1985 to 30th January 2006, 56 fatalities were reported related to forklifts. This includes 10 operators crushed by a roll over. Over $130million in forklift related injury compensation was also paid out over that period. (Source: Victorian WorkCover Authority)
Prosecution
In recent years the management of traffic movement on and around workplaces has been targeted by WorkCover authorities. The following prosecution is one reason why: A 55-year-old truck driver was hit from behind by a forklift which turned and reversed unexpectedly as it loaded pallets onto his truck. The truck driver sustained injuries to his left foot resulting in him being off work for three months. The Company was fined $25,000 at Dandenong Magistrates Court in 2004, for not
14 | Award Magazine
Traffic management in a residential area
There are many risks involving traffic movement and clearly these vary from workplace to workplace. Common issues across workplaces include: • Inadequate separation and segregation of vehicles and pedestrians. • Poorly laid out loading/ unloading areas, with truck drivers either not aware of or not following site rules. • Inadequate control of traffic speed on site, from both road vehicles and powered mobile plant. • Not dealing with breeches of the site traffic management rules. • Inadequately laid out workplaces. • Employees not adequately trained in relation to risk control measures. • Drivers not wearing seat belts.
How to manage the risk
The best approach to managing traffic risk in workplaces is to develop and implement a Traffic Management Plan, in consultation with your workplace. Depending on your workplace this can range from a single page document, to a multi-page procedure and plan.
Elements to consider in a Traffic Management Plan
The areas to be assessed in a plan to safely control traffic movement in a workplace can generally be broken down into the following four categories: 1. EQUIPMENT DESIGN & MAINTENANCE • Maintenance schedules for mobile plant and mechanical controls. • Guarding of equipment. • Suitability of equipment for its intended use or purpose, etc. 2. PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT • Weather factors including rain & glare. • Lighting requirements. • Building layout, including signage and physical barriers. • Noise, etc. 3. SAFETY SYSTEMS • Site specific rules & procedures, and systems for managing breaches. • Incident reporting processes. • Workplace inspections. • Induction and training processes, etc. 4. SAFETY CULTURE • Compliance with system requirements (including wearing high visibility clothing). • Likelihood of drivers/ pedestrians following directions. • Ability and speed of implementing change into the workplace. A