Background#
Poor traffic management at worksites can result in powered mobile plant or vehicles colliding with pedestrians, causing serious injury or death. Across all Queensland industries, between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017, 12 workers were killed by mobile plant or transport and 2,087 workers suffered serious injury, according to workers' compensation data.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) is working with industry to:
- raise awareness of the importance of traffic management
- provide information and guidance on what good traffic management looks like
- increase levels of work health and safety compliance.
Workplaces in the construction, manufacturing, agriculture, and transport and logistics industries with powered mobile plant (e.g. forklifts, earthmoving equipment, cranes) or other vehicle traffic (e.g. trucks, cars) used in the workplace are targeted for assessment as part of this project.
Phase one of the project was conducted between July and September 2016 and the report from phase one is published on the WHSQ website. Phase two of the project was conducted between March and May 2017. Phase two involved 427 workplace assessments. This report collates findings from the first two phases of the project.
A third phase of the project will be undertaken during September to October 2017. This will consist of re-visits to a small sample of workplaces visited previously to measure improvements and sustainability of previously observed controls.
In addition to workplace assessments, WHSQ inspectors completed 320 workplace advisories during the project to provide information and guidance to workplaces about onsite traffic management.
