This anonymous employer was worried that they didn’t have appropriate measures in place to protect their employees from vehicle-related injury in the workplace.
Here's their question:
Hi Gavin, moving vehicles are part and parcel of my working environment. And whilst there haven’t been any incidents in my time (touch wood), I’ve been quite shaken by some statistics I’ve recently learned about. I read that employees being hit by a moving vehicle makes up for 16% of all fatalities in the workplace, which over the last 5 years, is an annual average of 21 lives. I desperately don’t want my employees to become part of these shocking statistics. I’m confident that I do my bit to protect my staff, but I thought it’d be worth getting your expert advice, so if you have any other tips, I’d love to hear themAnon
Gavin's reply was:
Hello Anon,
It's great to hear from you, and it’s even better that you’re not just taking notice of these stats, but you’re actually seeking guidance to protect your employees.
Naturally, you’re more concerned about the safety of your staff—which is commendable. But it’s worth noting that fines relating to such cases are reaching up to £2.5 million.
You didn’t specify which industry you work in, but incidentally, agriculture makes up for 27% of vehicle deaths, with construction and transportation and storage at 17% each. Whilst the industries differ, solutions largely remain the same.
So, what causes these accidents? Unfortunately, workplace transport fatalities are predictable. Workers are often struck by reversing vehicles in shared areas with pedestrians and vehicles.
Many of these accidents and tragedies happen when Health & Safety is seen as optional. Preventing deaths means safety being integral to how sites operate—these measures must be in place before a vehicle moves.
A good starting point is a workplace transport risk assessment being put in place. You have a general duty to ensure workplace transport activities are conduct in a safe manner.
Here are measures you can implement to safeguard your staff from vehicle-related accidents:
- Safe site design: Wherever possible, aim to separate people from vehicles. Create designated walkways with physical barriers, use one-way traffic systems to reduce reversing, and ensure loading areas are situated away from where people work.
- Vehicle maintenance: Ensure your vehicles are fit for purpose. Regular vehicle checks should be routine, and any found to have faults must be removed from service until repaired. Safety equipment like reversing aids is critical for mitigating workplace accidents. Using CCTV, alarms and sensors will help your drivers notice hazards they can’t directly see.
- Trained drivers: Your workplace needs drivers who aware of the risks they might encounter. They must know when to request a banksman and be confident to stop working if conditions become unworkable. This applies to regular staff, visitors and contractors unfamiliar with your site. It’s key that training transcends basic vehicle operation.
- Set standards: Implementing precautions is just one step to protecting your employees. It’s equally as important to ensure your staff maintain standards and adhere to safe working practices. Management, or yourself, should tackle and investigate dangerous, unsafe behaviour.
