Identifying hazards is the first step in keeping workers safe
Ideally people would never be put in harm's way, however in reality there are situations in which moving vehicles are a risk.
To comply with Health and safety law employers need to identify where moving vehicles present a hazard and evaluate each situation to decide how likely it is that harm will occur. If a hazardous situation changes in any way, a full reassessment of the risks should be undertaken.
The HSE estimate that around 3 million employees work with or near vehicles as a regular part of their normal job, including vans and lorries and mechanical handling equipment such as forklift trucks, side loaders, reach trucks and telescopic material handlers.
The risk of not being seen will be greater in complicated environments where there’s many visually competing objects.
The level of risk is also related to the number of employees affected and the intensity of vehicle operations. The dangers are greater where there are more vehicles and if they’re travelling faster.
In the winter months, when days are shorter, more hours are spent working in the dark increasing the importance of being seen. Evaluating the level of risk includes examining lighting levels in the working environment and considering different weather conditions such as fog and snow.
More than half of those injured by forklift trucks are pedestrians, although that number does include drivers who have stepped down from their vehicle.
Typical accidents involved pedestrians who neglected to wear hi-vis clothing being knocked down, run over or crushed against fixed parts by forklift trucks or reversing lorries whose drivers were unaware of the presence or movements of pedestrians nearby.
Measures to manage other health and safety risks associated with vehicles will also need to be considered, particularly for operations in confined areas. These include materials falling from vehicles, noise and fumes.
Those who work in occupations which involve spending time in cold environments, either in cold stores or outside in the colder months, are also at risk of hypothermia or 'cold stress'. Cold stress occurs when the skin temperature and eventually the internal body or core temperature falls.
If a worker's body temperature gets too low or too high, they will feel uncomfortable and become distracted, which increases the risk of accidents. Studies have shown that accidents may increase by up to 35% when people experience excessive cold or heat whilst working because their ability to make decisions and/or perform manual tasks deteriorates.
Air temperature affects how people feel but there are other factors too. Radiant heat sources, humidity and air velocity also contribute. How physical or sedentary the work is will also affect how cold workers will feel.
Some pre-existing medical conditions and medication can put some people more at risk and the symptoms of some chronic diseases can be aggravated by the cold. For example, those with asthma or other respiratory conditions, cardiovascular and circulatory conditions, arthritis, musculoskeletal diseases, skin diseases and metabolic disorders.
Colleagues should watch for extreme drowsiness, loss of balance, extreme shivering or slower breathing as these are early signs of hypothermia which workers may not notice for themselves.
When working in sub-zero temperatures there is also the danger of freezing injuries, such as frostbite and skin damage from contact with cold surfaces.
Ensuring workers stand out in transport and other dangerous areas by wearing EN 20471 compliant high visibility clothing is one of a range of measures that can be taken to prevent tragic accidents.
With many years' experience, we can advise on hi-vis clothing for your site to help keep your people safe. Explore our clothing pages or get in touch if you need further support.
We sell a wide range of hi-vis clothing to suit all budgets and applications to ensure your employees can always be seen. We have it all, from premium quality GORE-TEX® to Arco Essentials; from waterproof jackets to polo shirts; flame resistant yellow hi-vis to railway approved orange hi-vis, for both women and men, plus branding options and a bespoke design service.
