INTRODUCTION Slips, trips and falls account for a large proportion of the accidents that occur at our workplace. We must therefore ensure that safe access is provided to all our places of work and is maintained to a high standard to reduce the number of unsafe conditions. This Group Standard gives practical guidance on temporary or permanent footpaths and walkways and must be considered as part of a risk assessment approach. If, as a contractor, we have no direct control, this guidance will be considered best practice. GROUP STANDARDS All footpaths or walkways to and around places of work under LOR control must meet the following performance standards:- PLANNING All main access routes should be pre planned to ensure all pedestrian access routes are segregated and protected from vehicular traffic or plant if possible. Crossing points over traffic routes must be planned and established to allow control with provision of choke points, barriers at the roadside, warning notices for pedestrains and vehicles, painted crossing points on the road and traffic calming measures considered when planning and designing crossing points and pedestrian routes through sites. (Refer also to CS 9 for vehicle entry & offloading) The agreed access details and sketch plans will be formally recorded in the Traffic Management Plan and monitored and reviewed against this document. All pedestrian access routes must be clearly identified and delineated. Stair tower access must always be used in preference to ladders. Early consideration must be given to temporary power or supply routes and the potential use of battery operated tools to reduce cable trip hazards in walkways. Typical Plan showing traffic & pedestrian routes CS 10 Pedestrian Access Page 1 of 7
SIGNAGE Signage comprising white pictograms on a green background must be securely fixed and clearly visible to define formal access routes. Link to Corporate Identity Guidelines. Link to Signage Catalogue. The main entrance for the public must be clearly marked with consideration given to provision of direction arrows on long lengths of hoarding where the entry point is not obvious. Link to Corporate Identity Guidelines Link to Signage Catalogue. Additional LOR yellow directional signage should be provided to direct visitors to reception, the offices and stores as applicable. All signage must be cleaned, maintained and remain visible at all times. Clear Office Signage Sign at Crossing Point ENTRY CONTROL Where we are in control of a premises or worksite, we have a responsibility to control access and deny entry to unauthorised persons. The extent of this control will be determined by the responsible manager. For non linear construction sites, the standard entry control is a turnstile system (swipe card or linked to the Aurora facial recognition system) or via security. Gates to access roads or delivery areas must be monitored and policed to ensure unauthorised persons cannot access site by avoiding turnstile or security control. The use of CCTV control can be discussed with LOR Security consultants. Office security will be maintained through security tags or keypads Typical Turnstile Aurora CS 10 Pedestrian Access Page 2 of 7
WALKWAY SURFACING, STEPS & WIDTHS Walkway surfaces must always be evenly formed with no trip hazards. Concrete or tarmac paths are the preferred options and they should have formed edges. Walkways made from fill, must be adequately compacted to give a plane surface with falls designed to shed water and avoid puddles or deterioration. The minimum clear width of a footpath should be 1.2m to allow two persons to walk side by side or to pass safely. Boards used on scaffold platforms or bridges must be free from warp, large knots or damage and secured in position. Where there is any overlap, a fillet piece should be installed to prevent tripping. Scaffold ramps with a gradient of 1 in 4 or greater must be fitted with stepping lathes or non slip surfaces with handrails. Formed steps within a walkway should be constructed with a rise of 190mm and 300mm treads with adequate handrails. Nosings to temporary steps in less well lit areas may be highlighted in a contrasting colour. Concreted walkway (VCB & Scaffold Barrier) Services cleared from Walkway Stair Nosings Painted contrasting Colour Temporary Timber Stair Access Defined Tarmac Surfaced Path CS 10 Pedestrian Access Page 3 of 7
WALKWAY BARRIERS Walkways should be delineated where possible with solid rails or surfaces such as scaffold tubes, proprietary fencing panels, VCBs or hoarding. Where scaffolding is used, midrails should be provided to discourage persons from leaving the route at unauthorised points. Where scaffolding is used, putlog couplers should be used in preference to right angle couplers. Right angle couplers should have protective coverings; Use of road pins and netting is discouraged except when forming very transient access routes, due to high maintenance demands and untidy appearance. In large floor areas, preferred access routes may be designated by painted lines or hatching and clearly identified as walkways. These may not require additional physical barriers. Sufficient numbers of formal access points will be required within these barriers, to allow entry and exit. For details of barriers on elevated walkways, refer to Common Standard 2 Scaffold Tube Barriers Painted Line Walkway Identification Segregated Pedestrian Walkway in Road Site Walkway with 2.4m Panel Fences CS 10 Pedestrian Access Page 4 of 7
PROTECTION FROM ADJACENT HAZARDS On construction sites, all hazards adjacent to access routes must be assessed for risk. Access routes and work areas are frequently adjacent to starter bars, posing a risk of injury if someone trips or falls onto them when working above or climbing over them. Persons may also be vulnerable to adjacent plant, be struck by loads craned over access routes or be affected by sparks, dust or other by products of adjacent work processes such as grinding or welding. All such risks must be assessed. Starter Bars Starter bars higher than 1.5m must never present a risk of impalement from trips, or falls from a location above. Detailing for Safety: bars can be scheduled with a bob or as inverted u bars, removing a cut end. Alternatively, either a lacer can be placed flush with the top of the rebar or the length of the bar may be increased to reduce risk, as long as there is no access or work overhead. 1. Protection: Exposed rebar ends must be protected by either covers (pics.2&3) or individual caps (pic. 4). Whatever protection is used, it must be robust and: Clearly visible Continuous in length Securely fixed Installed as soon as is possible 2. Access Points: Where access is required (pic.2): Rebar must be bent flat along the ground Rebar must be covered and fixed The access must be clearly marked 3. 4. CS 10 Pedestrian Access Page 5 of 7
SECONDARY ACCESS Access down batters or into excavations must also be carefully planned. Where stair towers cannot be used, steps may be formed in the bank in concrete, scaffold or proprietary components. Access walkways across re bar mats must be provided, to gain access to as near the work location as is possible. The walkway should be constructed by providing a 1.2m wide platform from scaffold boards or staging. Trip hazards from lapping of the boards should be prevented by installing a fillet pieces. Cut Steps ready for Concreting Scaffold Walkway on Rebar RESTRICTED AREAS Where access ways enter areas with potentially hazardous or overhead work, these areas must be designated as restricted to authorised workforce. Restricted areas must be clearly signed with scaffold or similar physical barrier. For short term only, use of barrier tape must be policed by a physical presence. Where existing access and escape routes are likely to be affected by restricted areas, these accesses must be re assessed and re planned to provide alternative safe access prior to work commencing. External Segregation Internal Segregation CS 10 Pedestrian Access Page 6 of 7
LIGHTING (Refer also to Common Standard 11) All walkways accessed in hours of darkness must have adequate lighting. Emergency routes will require emergency lighting. Public walkways must have lighting levels agreed with the Local Authority All lighting leads should be ducted, wall or ceiling mounted to avoid trip hazard. Lighting Cables fixed to Wall DISABLED ACCESS The requirement for disabled access, including wheelchairs, must be considered, particularly to offices and establishments. Disabled access may require special consideration and the provision of specialist equipment for escape. This may require the elimination of steps and provision of wider access routes of 1500mm, short shallow ramps of 1 in 15 with guardrails when rising above 300mm. SMS Section16.13 and Part M of Building Regulations give further detail. MAINTENANCE & INSPECTION The manager must appoint and name in the Plan, a person responsible for inspecting and ensuring upkeep of walkways and agreed inspection frequency. These inspections can be recorded on Supervisor report sheet. SMS App 11D. Any reported defects must be remedied immediately or improvement notices issued to other contractors as necessary. There must be no objects projecting into the walkway or trip hazards placed on the walkway. This will include feet to fencing panels, air lines, electric cables, hoses etc, which must be re routed wherever possible. Walkways should never be used for the storage of materials, even temporarily. All walkways and footpaths must be kept free of ice and snow in the winter. This may require the ordering and storage of salt and grit bins. If a slip, trip or fall occurs, the supervisor must immediately investigate the incident and make any identified improvements as soon as is possible. CS 10 Pedestrian Access Page 7 of 7