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Workplace traffic management audit: sources and guidance

A site-level audit of workplace transport: routes, segregation, crossings, speed, signs, lighting, reversing, loading, parking, drivers and visitors. HSE says your risk assessment must consider all workplace transport activities, such as loading and unloading [9], and that workplaces must be organised so vehicles and pedestrians can move around safely [51].

How often: Set by your organisation. Audit again after introducing new vehicles, changing traffic routes or changing the work, because HSE says new hazards may emerge then.[78][75]

Purpose

Use this workplace traffic management audit to check how vehicles and people move around your site, and to record what needs to change. HSE says that every year there are accidents involving transport in the workplace, some of which kill people [3]. Its guidance names four main kinds of accident: people struck or run over by a vehicle, people struck by something falling from a vehicle, people falling from vehicles, and vehicles overturning [74].

The audit looks at the site as a whole: the risk assessment, traffic routes and surfaces, how pedestrians are kept apart from vehicles, crossings, speed, signs and lighting, reversing, loading and parking, and the drivers, visitors and contractors who use the site. It does not replace the pre-use check of each lift truck or vehicle.

Who should use it

Site, warehouse and operations managers, supervisors and health and safety staff at any workplace where vehicles and people share space: warehouses, distribution centres, factories, yards, depots and retail goods-in areas. HSE says a risk assessment can start by watching the workplace and noting where vehicles are, what drivers are doing and how they are doing it [76], and suggests using a site inspection checklist to help spot workplace transport hazards [72]. This audit is written for that walk round.

How often

HSE does not set a fixed interval for a site traffic audit. How often you audit is set by your organisation. HSE says each risk assessment should include a date for when a review is due [78], and that new hazards may emerge when you introduce new vehicles, change the traffic routes or change the nature of the work [75]. Audit again after any of those changes. Things can also change at different times of the year or in bad weather [80], so an audit in the dark winter months or during a delivery peak can find problems a daytime audit misses.

How to use this checklist

  1. Before the walk round, get the site plan, the transport risk assessment, the site rules and the driver training records.
  2. Walk the whole site, including the gatehouse, yard, loading bays, car parks and any indoor areas where vehicles work. Spend time watching real vehicle movements, and record when you watched them.
  3. Ask drivers, visiting drivers, supervisors and people on foot what they do. HSE suggests asking them for their views on any problems [71].
  4. Mark N/A only where a check really does not apply, for example indoor marking on a site where no vehicles work inside.
  5. Two checks are marked critical. HSE says drivers must never leave their vehicles without making sure the vehicle and its trailer are securely braked [67], and that a driver who cannot see clearly behind, or loses sight of a banksman, should apply the brakes and stop the engine immediately [27]. If either fails, stop the activity and put it right before it continues.
  6. Record each action with an owner and a date. HSE suggests prioritising improvements by the level of risk and setting a realistic date for each action [73]. Then sign the audit.

The distances and gradients mentioned in some checks are HSE's guidance figures, quoted where HSE gives them. Where HSE gives no figure, such as a speed limit, the value is for your organisation to decide from its risk assessment.

What the rules say

HSE says employers have a duty under health and safety law to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of their employees [48]. For workplace transport, HSE summarises the main duties as follows:

  • The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require a risk assessment of the risks associated with a work activity [53]. HSE says your risk assessment must consider all workplace transport activities, such as loading and unloading [9]. If your organisation employs five or more people, you must write down the significant findings [77].
  • The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 require workplaces to be organised so that vehicles and pedestrians can move around safely [51], including sufficient lighting [50] and doors or gates that give a clear view of both sides when shut [47]. HSE lists regulation 17 of these Regulations among the law on workplace transport [4].
  • HSE says that, by law, pedestrians or vehicles must be able to use a traffic route without causing danger to people working near it [94], route surfaces must not be so uneven, potholed, sloped or slippery that anyone could slip, trip or fall [84], and traffic routes must be suitably indicated where necessary for health or safety [101].
  • Road signs used to warn or inform drivers and pedestrians in private workplaces must be the same as those used on public roads, wherever a suitable sign exists [102].
  • The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) require work equipment to be suitable, properly maintained and inspected at suitable intervals [52]. Regulation 9 requires operators of rider-operated lift trucks to be trained to use the equipment safely [49].

Most checks in this audit come from HSE's workplace transport web pages, which explain how to meet these duties. They are HSE guidance rather than the text of the regulations. HSE's full guide, HSG136, is a separate publication and is not reproduced here.

What this checklist does not cover

  • Pre-use checks and maintenance of individual vehicles and lift trucks. Use a separate check for each vehicle, following the manufacturer's instructions.
  • Thorough examination of lift trucks, lorry loaders and other lifting equipment under LOLER.
  • The content of operator training. HSE's Approved Code of Practice for rider-operated lift trucks (L117) covers it and is not reproduced here.
  • Securing loads for road journeys, sheeting, tipping, coupling and uncoupling, and falls from vehicles when people work on the load area.
  • Construction sites, which have further duties under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, and vehicles driven on public roads.
  • Designing a new site layout. HSE's guide HSG136, Workplace transport safety, gives detailed guidance and is not reproduced here.
  • Northern Ireland. This page is written for Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) only.

Questions

What should a workplace traffic management audit cover?

HSE's advice when looking for transport hazards is to think about the site, the vehicle and the driver [79]. For the site, that means a one-way system if you can, separate routes for pedestrians and vehicles, and avoiding reversing where possible [5], with appropriate crossing points where pedestrians and traffic meet [1]. It should also cover loading areas, parking, lighting and the people who use the site, including delivery drivers, whom HSE describes as particularly vulnerable [2].

Do we need a written traffic management plan?

HSE's pages describe this as part of your risk assessment, which must consider all workplace transport activities [9]. If your organisation employs five or more people, you must write down the significant findings [77]. HSE also suggests marking traffic and pedestrian movements on a plan so you can see where they interact [6].

How often should we audit workplace traffic?

There is no fixed interval in HSE's guidance; your organisation sets it. HSE says each risk assessment should include a review date [78], and new hazards may emerge when you introduce new vehicles, change traffic routes or change the work [75]. Audit again after changes like these.

Do forklift drivers need a licence in the UK?

No. HSE says there are no government-issued licences for workplace transport [39]. Instead, each operator must be given adequate training by their employer so they are competent to operate the machinery they use [40], and after training should get written authorisation to operate the type of truck [37]. HSE suggests reassessing lift truck operators at regular intervals, for example every 3 to 5 years, or when new risks arise [7].

How wide should vehicle routes be?

HSE says straight routes used by road-going vehicles should usually be at least 3.5 m wide in each direction [121], and routes should be wide enough for vehicles to pass oncoming or parked vehicles safely without leaving the route [119]. Where overhead clearance is less than 4.5 m, signs will almost certainly be needed if road vehicles might use the route [100].

When should a banksman be used for reversing?

Only as a last resort. HSE says to consider a banksman only where there is no other way to control reversing risks [23]. Banksmen need to be visible to drivers at all times [25], and banksmen and drivers should agree the signals before guided manoeuvring begins [24].

Sources

Each cited excerpt was found word for word in the official text on the date shown.

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Guidance, not legal advice. It does not replace the law, the manufacturer's instructions or your organization's competent people.