Skip to main content
IOSH Magazine: Safety, Health and Wellbeing in the world of work - return to the homepage IOSH Magaazine logo
  • Visit IOSH Magazine on Facebook
  • Visit @ioshmagazine on Twitter
  • Visit IOSH Magazine on LinkedIn
Gender equality
Practice meets perfect
May/June 2023 issue

Main navigation

  • Home
    • Browse previous issues
    • Member accolades
    • Member tributes
  • Health
    • Mental health and wellbeing
      • Bullying
      • Drugs and alcohol
      • Mental health
      • Stress
      • Wellbeing
    • Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
      • Ergonomics
      • Manual handling
      • Vibration
    • Occupational cancer
      • Asbestos
      • Hazardous substances
      • Radiation
  • Safety
    • Incident management
      • Chemicals
      • Electricity
      • Fire
      • First aid
      • Slips and trips
    • Non-health related fatalities
      • Road safety
      • Work at height
    • Risk management
      • Confined spaces
      • Disability
      • Legionella
      • Lifting operations
      • Lone workers
      • Noise
      • Personal protective equipment
      • Violence at work
      • Work equipment
      • Workplace transport
  • Management
    • Human factors
      • Accident reduction
      • Behavioural safety
      • Control of contractors
      • Migrant workers
      • Older workers
      • Reporting
      • Safe systems of work
      • Sickness absence
      • Young workers
    • Leadership and management
      • Employee involvement
      • Management systems
    • Management standards
      • ISO 45001
      • ISO 45003
    • Planning
      • Assurance
      • Compliance
      • Emergency planning
      • Insurance
    • Rehabilitation
      • Personal injury
      • Return to work
    • Strategy
      • Corporate governance
      • Performance/results
      • Regulation/enforcement
      • Reputation
    • Sustainability
      • Human capital and Vision Zero
  • Skills
    • Communication
    • Personal performance
      • Achieving Fellowship
      • Career development
      • Competencies
      • Personal development
      • Professional skills
      • Qualifications
    • Stakeholder management
    • Working with others
      • Leadership
      • Future Leaders
  • Jobs
  • Covid-19
  • Knowledge Bank
    • Back to basics
    • Book club
    • Infographics
    • Podcast
    • Reports
    • Webinars
    • Videos
  • Products & Services
  • Management
    • Human factors
      • Sickness absence
      • Accident reduction
      • Behavioural safety
      • Control of contractors
      • Migrant workers
      • Older workers
      • Reporting
      • Safe systems of work
      • Young workers
    • Leadership and management
      • Employee involvement
      • Leadership
      • Management systems
    • Management standards
      • ISO 45001
      • ISO 45003
    • Planning
      • Assurance
      • Compliance
      • Emergency planning
      • Insurance
    • Strategy
      • Corporate governance
      • Performance/results
      • Regulation/enforcement
      • Reputation
    • Sustainability
      • Human capital and Vision Zero
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • Mental health and wellbeing
      • Bullying
      • Drugs and alcohol
      • Mental health
      • Stress
      • Wellbeing
    • Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
      • Ergonomics
      • Manual handling
      • Vibration
    • Occupational cancer
      • Asbestos
      • Hazardous substances
      • Radiation
  • Safety
    • Incident management
      • Chemicals
      • Electricity
      • Fire
      • First aid
      • Slips and trips
    • Non-health related fatalities
      • Road safety
      • Work at height
    • Risk management
      • Confined spaces
      • Disability
      • Legionella
      • Lifting operations
      • Lone workers
      • Noise
      • Personal protective equipment
      • Violence at work
      • Work equipment
      • Workplace transport
  • Skills
    • Communication
    • Personal performance
      • Career development
      • Competencies
      • Personal development
      • Qualifications
      • Professional skills
      • Achieving Fellowship
    • Stakeholder management
    • Working with others
      • Leadership
      • Future Leaders
  • Transport and logistics
  • Third sector
  • Retail
  • Mining and quarrying
  • Rail
  • Rehabilitation
    • Personal injury
    • Return to work
  • Utilities
  • Manufacturing and engineering
  • Construction
  • Sector: IOSH Branch
    • Sector: Northern Ireland
    • Sector: Midland
    • Sector: Merseyside
    • Sector: Manchester and North West Districts
    • Sector: Ireland East
    • Sector: Ireland
    • Sector: Edinburgh
    • Sector: Desmond-South Munster
    • Sector: Qatar
    • Sector: Oman
    • Singapore
    • Sector: South Coast
    • Sector: South Wales
    • Sector: Thames Valley
    • Sector: Tyne and Wear
    • Sector: UAE
    • Sector: West of Scotland
    • Sector: Yorkshire
  • Healthcare
  • Sector: Fire
  • Sector: Financial/general services
  • Sector: Energy
  • Education
  • Sector: Communications and media
  • Chemicals
  • Sector: Central government
  • Catering and leisure
  • Agriculture and forestry
  • Sector: Local government
  • Sector: IOSH Group
    • Sector: Financial Services
    • Sector: Sports Grounds and Events
    • Rural industries
    • Sector: railway
    • Public Services
    • Sector: Offshore
    • Sector: Hazardous Industries
    • Sector: Food and Drink
    • Sector: Fire Risk Management
    • Education
    • Construction
    • Sector: Aviation and Aerospace
Quick links:
  • Home
  • Categories
  • Products and services

Workplace transport – let’s get back to basics

Sponsored content
Open-access content Tuesday 26th November 2019
From the archive:  Just so you know, this article is more than 3 years old.

While there's no one-size-fits-all safety solution, a few fundamental fixes could considerably reduce risk across your business.

Map out traffic flow

Every site has a unique layout and it's every employer's responsibility to identify their own transport patterns, space constraints and safety requirements. Begin with a simple observation exercise, assessing the movement of vehicles, forklift trucks, cars and pedestrians throughout your workplace. Then carry out a more formal risk assessment covering traffic routes and their inherent hazards, such as junctions, gradients and potential collision points.

Separate vehicles and pedestrians

As far as is practicable, keep moving vehicles and forklift trucks away from workers and site visitors. Isolate pedestrian walkways with physical boundaries, such as protective barriers or rails, and safeguard vehicle routes with appropriate signage, speed limits and designated loading/unloading areas.

Banish stock blind spots

As well as presenting a crushing hazard, overloaded racking systems can create perilous blind spots. Stock should never impede views or traffic flow, so follow the relevant HSE guidelines for your industry and consider installing ceiling-mounted safety mirrors to improve visibility.

Go above and beyond

Even with solid transport safety measures in place, it's vital to recognise when temporary support measures such as barriers and cones are needed. Staging a public event? Planning construction work? A supplementary risk assessment will help pinpoint additional requirements.

Stack safely

According to the British Safety Council, around 1,300 UK employees are seriously injured each year as a result of forklift accidents. Stacking is a recurrent risk area, so ensure workers are properly trained on correct methods of pallet placement and removal.

Block offloading areas

Where possible, establish segregated loading and unloading areas that allow drivers to easily manoeuvre. Nearly a quarter of all transport-related workplace deaths happen while vehicles are reversing, so eliminate the need by implementing one-way systems.

Light the way

In a bustling work environment, staff can tune out traditional sound-based warning systems like back-up beepers. Blue spot technology -- which projects a bright blue LED light in the path of a moving forklift -- alerts pedestrians and other vehicles to approaching traffic.

Create safe zones for drivers

Structure your site to ensure hazard-free delivery and collection of goods. Purpose-built safe areas keep drivers and other workers protected during loading and unloading. Similarly, clear signage, speed limits and one-way systems keep traffic flowing in predictable patterns.

Insist on safety

Some safety measures are simply non-negotiable. Seatbelts should be standard, along with correct licences for varying vehicle types. Workers should never drive under the influence of alcohol, drugs or prescription medication that may cause drowsiness, and mobile phones are always safest stowed in the glove compartment.

Author: John Southall, Managing Director at Southalls

Southalls is a leading health and safety consultancy, helping clients -- from schools to steel merchants -- cut costs, protect their people and achieve long-term compliance. Rely on us for hands-on, hassle-free ways of simplifying health and safety at work, powered by cutting-edge technology and decades of industry experience. Get in touch to request your complimentary visit and preview the power of best health and safety practice.

This content is paid for and not an endorsement from IOSH or IOSH magazine.

You may also be interested in...

 Chemcre8 – A Revolutionary Chemical Clothing System From Alpha Solway

Thursday 21st November 2019
Chemcre8 is a fully reusable protective clothing range - ensuring maximum safety and wearer comfort at all times by allowing organisations to incorporate safety features into the clothing to protect against specific hazards and working practices on their site.
Open-access content

 Get Winter-Ready with JSP’s Helmet Liners, Visilite® Helmet Lighting System and Winter Hardcap A1+™

Friday 15th November 2019
As winter approaches, warnings have already been issued about extreme weather conditions, including high winds, rain, snow, ice and storms, so it’s time for a rethink of the PPE your workers need to keep them warm, visible, protected and safe.
Open-access content

 Diversity in the workplace and its influence on evacuation planning

Tuesday 12th November 2019
New figures recently released, reveal that 7.7 million people of working age in the UK have a disability, representing nearly 20% of the entire, working-age population. Of these 7.7 million, an estimated 4.1 million are already in employment. 
Open-access content

 Digital Reality implement five ISO standards to improve their business’.

Friday 13th December 2019
Digital Realty powers the world’s increasingly digital economy. The company supports the data center, colocation and interconnection of more than 2,000 organizations across five continents, 14 countries and more than 210 data centers.
Open-access content

 IOSH Managing Safely in Social Housing

Wednesday 6th November 2019
RRC are the UK’s largest provider of health and safety training qualifications. Our in-house course development team have been working closely with our course writers who are experts in their field. Together they have produced this new IOSH Managing Safely in Social Housing course. The course is based on the existing IOSH Managing Safely program, and is designed for those who manage others, and who manage risks and resources in the social housing sector.  
Open-access content

 Riley Flux® safety eyewear – delivering effective protection against dust and droplets

Thursday 19th December 2019
Performance safety eyewear specialist Riley® has launched Riley Flux® – a new super lightweight safety eyewear solution - providing workers with enhanced protection against dust and droplets.
Open-access content
Topics
Products and services
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linked in
  • Mail
  • Print

Latest Jobs

Health and Safety Improvement Manager

Leeds
£35000 - £50000 per annum
Reference
5452992

SHEQ Systems Advisor

Up to £40000.00 per annum + Car Allowance
Reference
5452988

Senior Health and Safety Manager

Reading
Up to £65000.00 per annum + Great Car Allowance & Benefits
Reference
5452983
See all jobs »

Sign up for regular e-alerts

Receive the latest news and features, free to your inbox

Sign up

Subscribe to IOSH magazine

Receive the print edition straight to your door

Subscribe
IOSH Covers
​
FOLLOW US
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
CONTACT US
Contact us
Tel +44 (0)20 7880 6200
​

IOSH

About IOSH
Become a member
IOSH Events
MyIOSH

Information

Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Cookie Policy

Get in touch

Contact us
Advertise with us
Subscribe to IOSH magazine
Write for IOSH magazine

IOSH Magazine

Health
Safety
Management
Skills
IOSH Jobs

© 2023 IOSH • IOSH is not responsible for the content of external sites

ioshmagazine.com and IOSH Magazine are published by Redactive Media Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part is not allowed without written permission.

Redactive Media Group Ltd, 71-75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ