Many workers are injured each year by moving work vehicles that either didnt see them or started unexpectedly. Take the time today to check your vehicle management plan to ensure that your workers are protected.
Tips to Prevent Accidents Involving Employees and Workplace Vehicles
- Undertake a risk assessment to determine where the hazards involving pedestrians and vehicles are. Walk around your site to identify where vehicles are or could potentially be in the vicinity of employees and others. Identify how someone could be run over, reversed into or even crushed against a building or another vehicle.
- Prevent the need for vehicles to reverse whenever possible, by using one way systems and the correct signage to make the routes clear. If using a banksman, make sure they are trained and competent to do the job.
- Always aim to keep vehicles and pedestrians separate. Provide designated walkways for workers to use, and install barriers to keep vehicles away from these areas. Ensure that vehicle routes have good visibility, and introduce speed limits.
- If workers need to approach vehicles such as excavators, prevent the vehicle moving by ensuring the driver puts the handbrake on and removes the ignition key.
- Don’t allow drivers to use mobile phones whilst using workplace transport, or for them to have headphones on these are both a major distraction. Ensure that drivers have good visibility in the cab/driving seat check that windows are kept clean, that wipers work properly and that reversing sensors and alarms are working correctly.
Contact us if you require assistance.
