Reducing risk in temporary traffic management operations

Transcription

1 Health ad Safety Reducig risk i temporary traffic maagemet operatios HSE iformatio sheet Itroductio Carriageways ca be dagerous places i which to work ad usually require some form of temporary traffic maagemet to cotrol ad divert traffic aroud a work area. Those ivolved i settig out, maitaiig ad removig traffic maagemet schemes are particularly at risk as they work i a live traffic eviromet. This iformatio sheet outlies the key factors to address whe plaig, maagig ad carryig out temporary traffic maagemet operatios. The guidace is for cliets, desigers, cotractors ad workers ivolved i establishig, maitaiig ad removig static temporary traffic maagemet arragemets at road ad street works. This iformatio sheet is ot prescriptive, or is it a techical stadard. It is ot a comprehesive list of the health ad safety issues that may be ecoutered. What the law requires All work associated with establishig, alterig, maitaiig ad removig static traffic maagemet systems eeds to be udertake i ways that esure the health ad safety of both workers ad road users. Costructio Iformatio Sheet No 53 Desigers ad cotractors should assess the risks ivolved i projects to develop systems of work that preset the lowest risks to workers ad road users, for each activity, i each specific road eviromet. Those doig the work must receive relevat iformatio, istructio ad traiig to esure they are able to perform their assiged tasks ad be provided with appropriate equipmet. They should follow safe systems of work. Desig ad plaig Those plaig road ad street works should assess the risks associated with the istallatio, maagemet, alteratio ad removal of the temporary traffic maagemet ad, where reasoably practicable, elimiate or reduce them. Ay remaiig sigificat risks must be cotrolled, through careful plaig ad maagemet of the works. Those desigig ad plaig road works ad traffic maagemet layouts should: Cosider: road layout, locatio of juctios ad pedestria crossigs etc, whether permaet markigs ad sigs will eed to be altered or removed, traffic flows, local attractios or evets that may affect the work. I additio to highway legislatio 1 such as the New Roads ad Street Works Act 1991 ad The Traffic Sigs Regulatios ad Geeral Directios 2002 (TSRGD), cliets ad their agets, desigers, cotractors ad workers eed to esure that they comply with their duties uder health ad safety law. This requires that duty holders assess work-related risks ad elimiate, reduce ad cotrol sigificat risks, so far as is reasoably practicable. Cliets should appoit desigers ad cotractors with the ecessary experiece, skills ad kowledge to pla ad complete the work safely, ad provide sufficiet iformatio, time ad resources to do so. Liaise with the traffic maagemet cotractor, mai cotractor, highway authority ad police, to idetify appropriate traffic maagemet systems for projects (eg the use of variable message sigs (VMS), speed cameras, emergecy procedures, diversio routes etc). Elimiate the eed, where reasoably practicable, for operatives to cross high speed carriageway roads o foot to set out ad remove traffic maagemet layouts ad equipmet ad cosider: - specifyig the use of remotely-operated roadwork sigs; - the delivery of traffic maagemet equipmet so as to reduce the eed to carry it across the carriageway, eg layig it dow i the cetral 1 of 6 pages

2 Health ad Safety reserve of dual carriageways at off-peak times before the traffic maagemet layout is to be established. Esure that temporary traffic maagemet layouts start i safe locatios by avoidig hazardous positios, eg close to a bed, slip road, juctio or the brow of a hill. Assess traffic flows alog the stretch of road where work is proposed; it is importat to have curret, up to date iformatio o the flow of traffic. Esure that there is a miimum lateral clearace betwee the live lae ad work area oce the traffic maagemet layout is i place, for highspeed roads it is 1.2 m, for other roads, it is 0.5 m. The traffic maagemet layout will deped o the speed limit ad characteristics of the road such as the umber of laes, positio of juctios etc. The desig should clearly idetify a safe locatio for the layout to start based o local road kowledge, traffic couts, crossig poits ad the practicalities of parkig works vehicles without causig obstructios. works, to esure flows are appropriate for the proposed system of work. Cosider local coditios if they affect the geeratio of safe gaps i the traffic, eg sigificat gradiets. Highways authorities, their desigers ad maagig agets should cosider the istallatio of permaet sig support brackets or remotely-operated sigs ad fixed traffic maagemet startig poits i locatios where there are frequet works. Whe crossig the carriageway o foot, operatives must be able to estimate the distace of approachig vehicles. Distaces ca be estimated by coutig marker posts, lamp posts, or by other effective meas. Allow more time to cross i poor weather ad whe carryig loads. Allow greater distaces whe judgig safe gaps at ight, ad where traffic speeds ad/or crossig times are high. Whe crossig the live carriageway, esure that operatives: are wearig appropriate persoal protective equipmet (PPE); Chapter 8 of the Traffic sigs maual Part 1: Desig 2 provides iformatio o the desig stadards for temporary traffic maagemet arragemets. Fid further guidace i Safety at Street Works ad Road Works a code of practice for the New Roads ad Street Works Act 1991, kow as the red book. 3 Higher stadards tha those set out i the guidace may be required to reduce risks to workers ad road users. Geeral priciples Systems of work should ot ivolve workers crossig the carriageway uless there are: adequate sight lies; traffic flows that geerate suitable gaps; o more tha four cotiuous laes to cross (icludig slip roads); safe poits to start ad fiish crossig. If these criteria caot be met, other methods of work eed to be cosidered. Assess traffic flows at the desig ad plaig stage, ad before begiig temporary traffic maagemet ca see ad be see by the ocomig traffic; ca estimate appropriate safe gaps i the traffic; stad back from the edge of the live carriageway before settig off; set off oly whe a safe gap is preset i the traffic; walk straight across the carriageway; carry equipmet i a way that does ot obstruct their view of ocomig traffic; avoid ruig or zig zaggig betwee laes; avoid cats eyes ad other trippig hazards; carry sigs ad equipmet i a way which miimises the risk of droppig them, icludig reducig their resistace to the wid; avoid displayig the frot of sigs to ocomig traffic; do ot obscure their high-visibility clothig; move to a positio of safety after crossig, at least 1.2 m from the live carriageway o high speed roads ad 0.5 m o all other roads ad are, whe possible, protected by safety feces or coes; 2 of 6 pages

3 Health ad Safety take care whe movig equipmet so as ot to edager themselves or road users. Items of equipmet carried to the cetral reserve should be small ad light eough to eable oe perso to move them. Avoid tadem liftig as far as is reasoably practicable. Secure light items to resist the wid. Maagers ad supervisors should judge whether to start work whe poor weather coditios are forecast. If weather coditios deteriorate while work is i progress, the supervisor o site should decide o whether or ot to stop workig. Safe crossig of high-speed dual carriageways (speed limit greater tha 50 mph) Crossig the carriageway o foot should oly be udertake at times whe traffic flows are low eough to regularly produce sufficiet gaps betwee vehicles to allow time for workers to cross safely. Do ot expect workers to have to wait for loger tha 5 miutes before a safe gap occurs i the traffic. At less tha 20 vehicles per miute across all laes, it is likely that sufficiet safe gaps occur so that workers would ot have to wait more tha 5 miutes to cross. Betwee 20 ad 40 vehicles per miute, a site specific assessmet is required to idetify if sufficiet safe gaps exist. At greater tha 40 vehicles per miute it is very ulikely that the carriageway ca be crossed safely o foot. Whe estimatig how log it will take to cross, ad judgig what a safe gap i the traffic is, use the followig two rules: drivers of the works ad ay lae closures. They ca be used i additio to lae closure sigs. Mobile or fixed VMS systems ca be used as appropriate. Dual carriageway roads Taper positio O certai carriageways, it may be useful to establish fixed taper positios from where all temporary traffic maagemet layouts should start. The use of permaet, remotely-operated sigs may be appropriate i these locatios. Offside lae closures o dual carriageway roads Oe of the pricipal reasos for operatives crossig the carriageway is to set out ad remove traffic maagemet equipmet for offside lae closures. Systems of work should cosider: Ca the amout of equipmet be safely reduced, thereby reducig the umber of crossigs? Ca the equipmet be delivered to the road side i advace of beig put out so that it does ot have to be carried across the carriageway? If it is ot practicable to deliver the equipmet i advace, ca it be placed directly from works vehicles? Use of impact protectio vehicles Where works vehicles are used i a live lae o dual carriageway roads, it is essetial that they have impact protectio from a crash cushio fitted to the vehicle or by a separate impact protectio vehicle (IPV) with a lorry-mouted crash cushio fitted with a light arrow, as specified i Chapter 8 of the Traffic sigs maual. Allow at least 3 secods per lae whe estimatig crossig times, eg at least 9 secods for crossig three laes. To estimate the legth of a safe gap i metres, multiply the umber of laes to be crossed by 150. If operatives are workig i a usecured positio o a vehicle i a live lae, a separate IPV should protect it. Usecured positio meas ot restraied i a seat by a multipoit haress or seat belt, this would iclude coe wells ad the back of the vehicle. Oce a lae is o loger live, the separate IPV may o loger be required. Settig out static traffic maagemet layouts Advace sigig Advace sigig is importat i alertig drivers to the presece of workers i the carriageway o foot. Place sigs so that road users ca see them clearly. Variable message sigs (VMS) ca be used to iform Workig o foot Operatives should oly work i live lae(s) oce advace sigs are i place to war road users of their presece. Where possible, operatives should face the ocomig traffic, or work with a lookout. Whe workig i a live lae o high-speed dual carriageways, with o safe escape refuge, eg hard 3 of 6 pages

4 Health ad Safety shoulder or existig closed lae, it is recommeded that operatives be supported by a IPV. This should be i the same lae, displayig clearly visible directio arrows to war road users of their locatio. Oce the lae is o loger live, the IPV would ot ormally be required. Health assessmets should esure that workers: have full, urestricted, use of eck, truk ad legs; have at least 6/12 distace visio whe wearig glasses or cotact leses; Positioig of works vehicles have good hearig; Works vehicles should support operatives ad miimise the eed to cross the carriageway. They should be positioed to prevet fuellig of drivers toward the work area or ito the path of ocomig traffic. Maitaiig traffic maagemet layouts Maitaiig layout Maitai the traffic maagemet layout i order to esure it remais i place as iteded ad affords the maximum protectio to drivers ad road workers alike. Icidets where vehicles have struck or displaced traffic maagemet equipmet or etered the works area should be recorded. This will allow the traffic maagemet desig to be reviewed ad altered, if appropriate, to maitai the safety of drivers ad workers. Cleaig equipmet Reflective sigs ad equipmet eed to be kept clea to maitai clear visibility. Replacig dirty or damaged equipmet rather tha cleaig or repairig it i situ will reduce time at the roadside. Removig temporary traffic maagemet layouts The sequece of work for removig the equipmet eeds to be clear ad detailed. Operatives eed to have maximum protectio ad drivers give sufficiet warig of the presece of workers i the road at all times util the equipmet is removed. Before removig the traffic maagemet layout, check the area is clear of workers, vehicles, equipmet or debris, ad that ay excavatios are filled or covered. Health assessmets Traffic maagemet workers require good stadards of physical fitess, eyesight ad hearig. Their health should be assessed before they are assiged to traffic maagemet activities. are suitable for this work if they suffer from specific coditios, eg vertigo ad balace disorders, psychotic illesses, diabetes, cardiovascular ad gastroitestial coditios, ad sleepig disorders; are ot takig iappropriate medicatio, illegal drugs, or drikig excessive amouts of alcohol. More iformatio o health assessmet ad fitess to work ca be foud o the HSE website. See Further readig. Persoal protective equipmet (PPE) Whe workig o, ad alogside, live carriageways it is importat that operatives are as cospicuous as possible. Further iformatio o appropriate PPE ca be foud i, Chapter 8 of the Traffic sigs maual Part 2: Operatios, sectio 6.32 ad Safety at Street Works ad Road Works, Part 3. High-visibility garmets ad o-slip soled footwear with toe-caps should be wor whe workig o or ear live roads. High-visibility garmets should be clea ad should ot be covered or obscured durig work. Additioal PPE should be provided ad used, as required. Works vehicles All works vehicles should be i good coditio, drive by qualified drivers ad comply with the requiremets of Chapter 8 of the Traffic sigs maual Part 2: Operatios, sectio 5 ad Safety at Street Works ad Road Works, Part 3. Reflective sigs ad paels should be clea ad all lights ad beacos should be clea ad i workig order. Night work Night workers (ie those regularly workig betwee 11 pm ad 6 am uless specified elsewhere i a writte agreemet) who are ivolved i hazardous, 4 of 6 pages

5 Health ad Safety heavy or stressful work should ot work more tha 8 hours i ay 24-hour period, averaged over 17 weeks. Loe workig Loe workig should be assessed to determie if oe perso ca do the tasks safely ad if particular precautios are eeded. Particular attetio should be give to: The work area how is it accessed, where will vehicles be parked? Maual hadlig ca the equipmet be moved by oe perso? Traffic coditios traffic flow ad speed may mea a additioal perso is eeded to act as a spotter. Weather coditios bad weather ad poor visibility may make the task usuitable for oe perso to do aloe. Raisig the alarm what happes if the loe worker gets i to difficulty? If the assessmet idicates that a loe worker caot do work safely the alterative arragemets will eed to be made. Refereces ad legislatio 1 Legislatio Health ad safety legislatio Health ad Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 The Costructio (Desig ad Maagemet) Regulatios 2015 The Maagemet of Health ad Safety at Work Regulatios 1999 (as ameded) Persoal Protective Equipmet at Work Regulatios 1992 (as ameded). Provisio ad Use of Work Equipmet Regulatios 1998 Other legislatio The Workig Time Regulatios 1998 (as ameded) New Roads ad Street Works Act 1991 The Traffic Sigs Regulatios ad Geeral Directios Traffic sigs maual, Chapter 8 Traffic Safety Measures ad Sigs for Road Works ad Temporary Situatios Part 1: Desig ad Part 2: Operatios The Statioery Office Safety at street works ad road works: a code of practice 2013 (2d impressio Jue 2014) The Statioery Office 2014 (The Red Book) Further readig Workig time Workig aloe. Health ad safety guidace o the risks of loe workig. Leaflet INDG73 HSE Guidace o maagig occupatioal health risks i costructio Iterim advice ote IAN 150/15 Guidace o Alterative Temporary Traffic Maagemet Techiques for Relaxatio Works o Dual Carriageways Highways Agecy 2015 Highways Agecy idex.htm Iterim advice ote IAN 163/12 Alterative Etry Taper at relaxatio scheme temporary traffic maage-met o high speed roads Highways Agecy idex.htm Iterim advice ote IAN 181/14 Guidace o the use of impact protectio vehicles for temporary traffic maagemet. Highways Agecy idex.htm Temporary Traffic Maagemet Vehicle Selectio o High Speed Dual Carriageways icludig Motorways (rev007) Highways Term Maiteace Associatio welfare/ BS EN ISO High visibility clothig. Test methods ad requiremets British Stadards Istitutio HSE s health surveillace web page: 5 of 6 pages

6 Health ad Safety Traffic Maagemet Cotractors Associatio (TMCA) Notes for guidace. Sectio 4, Establishmet, Alteratio ad Removal of Temporary Traffic Maagemet Systems TMCA While every effort has bee made to esure the accuracy of the refereces listed i this publicatio, their future availability caot be guarateed. Further iformatio For iformatio about health ad safety, or to report icosistecies or iaccuracies i this guidace, visit You ca view HSE guidace olie ad order priced publicatios from the website. HSE priced publicatios are also available from bookshops. This guidace is issued by the Health ad Safety. Followig the guidace is ot compulsory, uless specifically stated, ad you are free to take other actio. But if you do follow the guidace you will ormally be doig eough to comply with the law. Health ad safety ispectors seek to secure compliace with the law ad may refer to this guidace. British Stadards ca be obtaied i PDF or hard copy formats from BSI: or by cotactig BSI Customer Services for hard copies oly Tel: cservices@bsigroup.com. The Statioery Office publicatios are available from The Statioery Office, PO Box 29, Norwich NR3 1GN Tel: Fax: customer.services@tso.co.uk Website: (They are also available from bookshops.) Statutory Istrumets ca be viewed free of charge at where you ca also search for chages to legislatio. This documet is available at: Crow copyright If you wish to reuse this iformatio visit for details. First published 02/94. Published by the Health ad Safety CIS53(Rev1) 12/15 6 of 6 pages