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Contents​​

• 1. Purpose
• 2. Scope
• 3. Definitions
• 4. Responsibilities
  
  • 4.1 - Head of Estates
  • 4.2 - Site Estate Managers 
  • 4.3 - Managers responsible for buildings in which vehicles move
  • 4.4 - Managers and Contract Supervising Officers
  • 4.5 - Staff, tenants, facility users, visitors and contractors driving or walking on site
• 5. References
•  
• Appendices
  
  • Appendix 1 - General Guidance 
  • Appendix 2​ - Training
  • Appendix 3 - Audit Checklist
  • Appendix 4 - Document Retention Policy 
    
  • Appendix 5 - Workplace transport checklist
    

Revisions

1. Purpose

Accidents involving vehicles result in a significant number of workplace injuries and deaths in the UK each year.  In the majority of cases, the underlying cause is a failure to identify, assess and control the risks that arise from activities involving vehicles and the movement of vehicular traffic on sites.

With regard to pedestrian and vehicle safety, the Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations, 1992, require the STFC to:

• Organise their sites so that pedestrians and vehicles can circulate safely;
• Provide traffic routes that are suitable for the pedestrians or vehicles using them, and are sufficient in number, in suitable positions and of sufficient size, so far as is reasonably practicable, to prevent incident.  To be suitable, traffic routes should:
  • Be usable without causing danger to the health and safety of persons at work near them;
  • In the case of vehicles routes, be sufficiently separated from doors or gates and pedestrian routes that may lead into them; and
  • Where vehicles and pedestrians use the same route, there is sufficient separation between them;
• Ensure all traffic routes are clearly identified.

In addition to these principal legal duties, this code addresses the duties imposed by:

• The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act, 1974; and
• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

The STFC operates several large sites for which the management of vehicular traffic is an important aspect of site safety, and is committed to preventing incidents involving vehicles on its sites.

The Highway Code applies to all traffic movement on STFC sites. Road design and standards found on the public highways are employed on STFC UK sites.

2. Scope

This code applies to all staff, tenants, contractors, facility users and visitors on STFC sites and the movement of all vehicles on STFC sites within and outside of buildings, including but not limited to cars: lorries; electric vehicles; Fork Lift Trucks (FLTs); bicycles; motorcycles etc.

It does not apply to travel on public highways on Council business, see STFC Code 8, Travel on Council Business.

For information on the provision and use of mobile work equipment such as Fork Lift Trucks, see STFC Code 4: Safety and safe use of work equipment.

3. Definitions

3.1 Traffic Route

A route for pedestrian traffic, vehicles or both and includes doorways, gateways, loading bays or ramps.

3.2 Vehicle

Including but not limited to cars; lorries; el​ectric vehicles; Fork Lift Trucks (FLTs); bicycles; motorcycles etc. as defined as a road legal vehicle within the​ Highway Code​.

4. Responsibilities

4.1 ​Head of Estates shall:

• 4.1.1 Ensure that the management of vehicle and pedestrian movements on STFC sites is planned, implemented and reviewed by competent people and that sufficient resource is available to implement the requirements of this code.

4.2 Site Estate Managers shall:

• 4.2.1 Ensure that a suitable and sufficient documented site vehicle transport risk assessment is completed for their site and stored in Evotix Assure, see SHE Code 6: Risk Management and Appendix 1.
•  
• The scope of the site vehicle transport risk assessments shall encompass all vehicle movement outside of buildings and assumes the standards and controls of road design and traffic management found on public highways and defined in the Highway Code are adhered to.
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• This risk assessment should address but not be limited to the following aspects:
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  • The number and location of reported vehicle incidents on site;
    
  • Ensuring segregation of pedestrian, cyclist​ and vehicular traffic were possible;
  • Establishing a site speed limit;
  • Safe parking of staff, contractor, tenants, facility user, and visitor vehicles on or adjacent to site;
  • Movement of delivery vehicles on site;
  • Loading and unloading of vehicles, and the need for vehicles to reverse;
  • Maintaining access for emergency service vehicles at all times to all areas of the site;
  • The establishment and maintenance of pavements, speed signs, road signals, road markings, any height restrictions, street and pedestrian lighting etc. in general and in particular during periods where ice and snow may be a hazard or when road closure is necessary; and
  • Compliance with Equality​ Act 2010 in relation to pedestrian routes.
•  
• See audit checklist included in HSG 136 Workplace transport safety: an employers' guide for additional information on areas to be considered,an example checklist to prompt risk assessment consideration and be found in ​ Appendix 5​.
  
•  
• 4.2.2 Ensure that control measures identified by this risk assessment are prioritised and implemented, in particular those changes or modifications to road layout and vehicle movement following vehicle related incidents​.
  
•  
• 4.2.3 Review site transport risk assessments at regular intervals prior to any significant change in site activity, e.g. construction work, open days etc., following site vehicle incidents, and as appropriate modifying or introducing further controls, see SHE Code 6, Risk Management.
•  
• 4.2.4 Periodically monitor compliance of vehicle movement on site with Highway Code and site vehicle controls and speed limits.

4.3 Managers responsible for buildings in which vehicles move shall:

• 4.3.1 Ensure that a suitable and sufficient documented vehicle transport risk assessment is completed for the movement of vehicles within that building and stored in Evotix Assure, see SHE Code 6: Risk Management and Appendix 1.
•  
• This risk assessment should address but not be limited to the following aspects:
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  • Ensuring segregation of pedestrian and vehicular traffic were possible;
  • Loading and unloading of vehicles, and the need for vehicles to reverse; and
  • Compliance with Disability Discrimination Act 2005 in relation to pedestrian routes.
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• Where there is multiple occupation of any building, for example by STFC Departments, contractors, tenants etc the vehicle transport risk assessment should be agreed by all parties.
•  
• See audit checklist included in HSG 136 Workplace transport safety: an employers’ guide for additional information on areas to be considered, and example checklist to prompt risk assessment consideration can be found in Appendix 5​​.
  
•  
  
• 4.3.2 Ensure that control measures identified by this risk assessment are prioritised and implemented.
•  
• 4.3.3 Review transport risk assessments at regular intervals and prior to any significant change in activity within the building, e.g. construction work, open days etc., following vehicle incidents, and as appropriate modifying or introducing further controls, see SHE Code 6, Risk Management.
•  
• 4.3.4 Periodically monitor compliance of vehicle movement within buildings.

4.4 Managers and Contract Supervising Officers shall: 

• 4.4.1 Ensure that, where any contract, activity or project they manage may impact the safe movement of vehicles or pedestrians on site, or access by emergency services to site buildings, they must discuss and agree with the Site Estates Manager how any impact to vehicle movement and pedestrian safety will be mitigated before the activity commences. Any such additional controls should be documented as part of the overall activity risk assessment, and communicated to relevant groups (such as Site Security), see SHE Code 6, Risk Management and Appendix 1.
•  
• Specific issues that should be considered:
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  • Free movement of Emergency vehicles around site;
  • Additional traffic volume from contractor vehicles;
  • Additional parking for contractor vehicles; and
  • Impact of abnormally heavy vehicles on road surface or buried services.
    

An example checklist to prompt risk assessment consideration can be found in Appendix 5​.

4.5 Staff, tenants, facility users, visitors and contractors driving or walking on site shall:

• 4.5.1 Follow the Highway Code and all STFC site traffic rules and signage regarding:
   
  • Access to site;
  • Speed limits;
  • Height restrictions; and
  • Parking restrictions.
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• 4.5.2 Walk on pavements or marked pedestrian routes when available and use designated pedestrian crossings.
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• 4.5.3 Report any defects with traffic and pedestrian routes e.g. potholes to the Site Services Group.
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• 4.5.4 Report any vehicle related incidents, including fuel spills, or near misses through ​Evotix A​ssur​e, see SHE Code 5: Incident Reporting and Investigation.

5. References

• 5.1 The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.
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• 5.2 INDG199 Workplace transport safety: an overview.
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• 5.3 HSG 136 Workplace transport safety: an employers’ guide.
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• 5.4 HSG 6 Safety in Working with Fork Lift Trucks.
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• 5.5 MISC 614 Preventing Falls from Boom Type Mobile Elevated Work Platforms.
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• 5.6 Highway Code.
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• 5.7 UK Traffic Signs manual