3Controlling the risk of people being hit by plant or vehicles...continued:#
Substitution, isolation and engineering controls#
If it is not reasonably practicable to eliminate the hazard altogether, planning and controlling vehicle operations and pedestrian movements at the workplace can minimise the risk of people being hit by plant or vehicles. This can be done by:
- substituting mobile plant for something safer, such as replacing forklifts with other load-shifting equipment
- isolating the hazard from people such as creating dedicated loading/unloading areas or installing guardrails at building entrances to stop pedestrians walking in front of vehicles
- using engineering controls on mobile plant such as speed-limiting devices, presence-sensing devices or warning lights and alarms
- using engineering controls in the work environment such as gates, traffic lights, speed bumps, mirrors for blind spots and lighting.
| Dedicated areas for loading, hitching trailers and maintenance work separate from people | People are isolated from traffic movements using barriers and clearly marked walkways | Worksite has a one-way drive-through route to avoid reversing | Engineering controls used on mobile plant to minimise risk of collision |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.842 | 1.798 | 1.847 | 1.731 |
| 1.712 | 1.633 | 1.648 | 1.576 |
| 1.456 | 1.439 | 1.442 | 1.295 |
Table in words
- For Dedicated areas for loading, hitching trailers and maintenance work separate from people, the average score is 1.842 for Industrial, 1.798 for Construction and 1.847 for Agriculture.
- For People are isolated from traffic movements using barriers and clearly marked walkways, the average score is 1.731 for Industrial, 1.712 for Construction and 1.633 for Agriculture.
- For Worksite has a one-way drive-through route to avoid reversing, the average score is 1.648 for Industrial, 1.576 for Construction and 1.456 for Agriculture.
- For Engineering controls used on mobile plant to minimise risk of collision, the average score is 1.439 for Industrial, 1.442 for Construction and 1.295 for Agriculture.
Administrative controls and personal protective equipment (PPE)#
Less effective controls that rely on people’s behaviour should be considered if a risk still remains following the implementation of higher-level controls. These types of administrative controls include exclusion zones, signage, training and PPE (e.g. high-visibility clothing to make pedestrians visible to plant operators).
| Exclusion zones to prevent workers from entering areas with mobile plant | Clear signage and road markings to direct vehicle and pedestrian traffic movements | Site rules restrict unauthorised or unlicensed operation of mobile plant | Workers and pedestrians are provided with and wearing suitable PPE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.945 | 1.833 | 1.874 | 1.879 |
| 1.872 | 1.675 | 1.656 | 1.508 |
| 1.581 | 1.510 | 1.373 | 1.254 |
Table in words
- For Exclusion zones to prevent workers from entering areas with mobile plant, the average score is 1.945 for Industrial, 1.833 for Construction and 1.874 for Agriculture.
- For Clear signage and road markings to direct vehicle and pedestrian traffic movements, the average score is 1.879 for Industrial, 1.872 for Construction and 1.675 for Agriculture.
- For Site rules restrict unauthorised or unlicensed operation of mobile plant, the average score is 1.656 for Industrial, 1.508 for Construction and 1.581 for Agriculture.
- For Workers and pedestrians are provided with and wearing suitable PPE, the average score is 1.510 for Industrial, 1.373 for Construction and 1.254 for Agriculture.
The average ratings for section three were 1.61, 1.77 and 1.41 for the industrial, construction and agriculture industry categories respectively. This demonstrates that workplaces are generally implementing a broad range of controls to manage traffic risks. However, there was a higher implementation of administrative controls (74 per cent) than substitution, isolation and engineering (72 per cent) and elimination controls (60 per cent) observed across all three industry categories. This suggests that workplaces should explore opportunities to implement higher-level controls through better design of their workplace environment.
Safe Work Australia has developed a Traffic control measures checklist that aims to identify potential control measures for your workplace. You should use whichever control measures are most effective and practical for your workplace where reasonably practicable to do so.