Workplace Regs

A general duty on employers under The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 is to maintain a clean workplace. As far as is reasonably practicable, every floor in a workplace and the surface of every traffic route in a workplace shall be kept free from obstructions and from any article or substance which may cause a person to slip, trip or fall.Organisations need to establish formal cleaning and housekeeping procedures and cleaning and housekeeping arrangements should be considered an important feature of a workplace risk assessment.

Over a third of all major injuries reported each year are caused as a result of a slip or trip, this is the single most common injury at work. They occur in almost all workplaces and cost employers over £368 million a year in lost production and other related costs. Simple cost effective measures could reduce these accidents. Many workplace accidents such as slips, trips and falls, often indicate poor or non-existent standards of cleaning and housekeeping as a major contributory factor.

Traffic Routes

Accidents and incidents involving people and vehicles of all types are a common cause of fatal and major injuries to drivers, vehicle passengers and others who may be involved directly or indirectly with vehicles, e.g. loaders, lift truck drivers and pedestrians, together with damage to structures, equipment and products. The need for organisations to develop and maintain safe traffic routes is, therefore, an important feature of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.

A traffic route is very broadly defined as meaning 'a route for pedestrian traffic, vehicles or both and including any stairs, staircase, fixed ladder, doorway, gateway, loading bay or ramp'. Every workplace should be organised in such a way that pedestrians and vehicles can circulate in a safe manner. In addition, traffic routes must be suitable for the persons or vehicles using them, sufficient in number, in suitable positions and of sufficient size.

The regulations suggest that traffic routes shall be regarded as suitable if:

• Vehicles or pedestrians may use a traffic route without causing danger to the health or safety of persons near it.
• Traffic routes for vehicles are a sufficient distance from doors and gates and pedestrian traffic routes.
• If vehicles and pedestrians are to use the same traffic route there should be ample distance between them so that there is no risk of injury.

The regulations also state that all traffic routes must be suitably indicated where necessary for reasons of health or safety. Thus any hazard should be highlighted with an appropriate sign. Signs and markings should comply with the traffic signs regulations.

Marking of Obstructions on Traffic Routes

Any hole in a floor or traffic route must be effectively guarded with temporary barriers and its presence should be indicated by appropriate signs.

Traffic Cones

Traffic Cone means a device complying with the relevant requirements of BS 873 Road Traffic Signs and Internally Illuminated Bollards'

Cones are used to delineate the traffic lane a driver should take past an obstruction, accident or road works. They should be placed close enough together to give an impression of continuity and an appearance of substance.

Barriers

Obstructions and excavations should be adequately guarded at all times for the protection of all persons who use the highway.

Barriers may consist of separate portable post and plank systems, gate frames linked together or semi-permanent constructions built to enclose sites. There are several different requirements for the barrier planks used with post and plank systems.

The Safety at Street Works and Road Works: Code of Practice, and Chapter 8 Volume 1 of the Department of Transport's Traffic Signs Manual, Traffic Safety Measures and Signs for Road Works and Temporary Situations; suggest barriers should offer the following functions;

1.Traffic Barrier:

If a traffic lane is closed for work to be carried out, regulations require this to be done with a retro-reflective red and white barrier plank placed across the lane. Horizontal planks should be striped in alternate vertical 250mm wide red and white bands. Barriers should be stable in adverse weather conditions, and when they are adjacent to running traffic lanes they should be guarded by a line of traffic cones that have sufficient danger lamps operating at night.

2. Pedestrian Barrier:

Pedestrians must be separated from works by conspicuous barriers that are mounted as a portable fencing system. Red and white pedestrian barrier planks must be retro-reflective. Base supports for the vertical posts should not protrude more than 300mm into the path of pedestrians and any vertical edge should be not more than 25mm high. Pedestrian Barrier Systems must be robust enough to guard them from traffic, excavations, plant or materials; they should be placed with enough clearance to prevent pedestrians falling into the excavation.

3. Tapping Rail:

For blind and partially sighted people tapping rails are placed in pedestrian fencing systems at approximately 150mm above ground (measured to the underside of the rail) and the rail should be 150mm deep.