Plant and Pedestrian Segregation: Are Your Controls in the Right Order?

Following the recent sentencing arising from a fatal incident involving a telehandler and a construction worker, many organisations will understandably be reviewing their workplace transport arrangements.`

As is often the case with media reports and prosecution summaries, the information available publicly rarely tells the full story of an incident. It would therefore be inappropriate to speculate on the specific circumstances or contributory factors involved.

However, one lesson remains consistent across many workplace transport incidents:

Where people and moving plant occupy the same space, the potential for serious injury or death exists.

Vehicle movements continue to be one of the leading causes of fatal injuries in construction, manufacturing, logistics, waste management and many other sectors. Telehandlers, forklifts, loading shovels, excavators, dumpers and delivery vehicles all present significant risks where effective controls are not in place.

Key takeaways:

• Physical segregation should be prioritised when managing workplace transport risks, reducing opportunities for pedestrians and moving plant to come into contact in the first place.
• Banksmen, signage, site rules, briefings and PPE can support workplace transport controls, but they rely more heavily on human behaviour than physical separation.
• Distraction should form part of workplace transport risk assessments, particularly where mobile phones, headphones or other devices could reduce awareness around moving plant.
• A useful test is whether pedestrians and moving plant can occupy the same space at the same time. If they can, review whether stronger controls higher up the hierarchy could be introduced.

Segregation Must Come Before Supervision

When reviewing workplace transport risks, it can be helpful to consider the ERICPD hierarchy of control.

The most effective controls are those which eliminate or reduce the opportunity for an incident to occur in the first place. In the context of workplace transport, this means designing sites and work activities so that pedestrians and vehicles are physically separated wherever possible.

Examples include:

• Dedicated pedestrian walkways.
• Physical barriers.
• Segregated traffic routes.
• Exclusion zones around operating plant.
• One-way systems.
• Designated crossing points.
• Delivery and loading arrangements that minimise interaction between vehicles and pedestrians.

Too often, however, organisations find themselves relying primarily on controls much lower down the hierarchy. Banksmen, warning signs, site rules, safety briefings and high-visibility clothing all have an important role to play, but they depend heavily upon people doing the right thing at the right time. As a result, they will almost always be less reliable than physical segregation.

A useful question for any site manager is:

“If the banksman was not there, would our traffic management system still prevent people and plant from coming into contact?”

If the answer is no, there may be an opportunity to strengthen the controls currently in place.

Managing Distraction

Construction and industrial sites are busy, fast-moving environments where workers need to maintain constant awareness of their surroundings.

Whilst there is no suggestion that mobile phone use contributed to this particular incident, distraction generally is something that organisations should consider as part of their workplace transport risk assessment.

Mobile phones, headphones and other personal devices can reduce situational awareness for both operators and pedestrians. Some organisations have introduced designated mobile phone zones, while others restrict phone use in operational areas where plant movements are taking place.

The objective is not to prohibit technology unnecessarily, but to ensure that workers remain focused on the hazards around them and can react quickly to changing circumstances.

A Simple Test of Your Arrangements

When reviewing your workplace transport management arrangements, perhaps the most valuable question is also the simplest:

Can a pedestrian and moving plant occupy the same space at the same time?

If the answer is yes, start at the top of the ERICPD hierarchy and work down.

Physical separation will almost always provide greater protection than relying solely on instructions, supervision, banksmen or personal protective equipment.

Good workplace transport management is not simply about compliance. It is about creating systems that do not depend entirely on human behaviour to prevent harm.

Every worker deserves to go home safely at the end of the day. Ensuring robust segregation between people and moving plant remains one of the most effective ways of helping to make that happen.