7.3 Traffic and Parking Management on Site

Quick Answer: A guard manages vehicles and pedestrians inside the client's site and at its gates. This means safe positioning in high-visibility clothing, clear hand signals, keeping emergency routes open and enforcing site parking rules. Traffic on public roads is the responsibility of the police, and a guard helps there only when the police ask. After any collision on site, protect people first, call 999 or 998 as needed and record the facts.

Why traffic management matters

Most sites mix vehicles and people: delivery trucks at loading bays, cars in basement car parks, buses at schools and hospitals, fork-lifts in warehouses, crowds leaving events. Many workplace deaths involve vehicles hitting pedestrians, especially reversing vehicles. A guard at a gate or car park often controls the moment where vehicles and people meet. NSI lists traffic management in the Basic Security Guard course, and it reappears in the hospital course ("Access Control & Traffic Management"), the special-event course ("Traffic & parking lot security") and the renewal course.

The limits of a guard's authority

• Inside the site, the client sets traffic rules such as speed limits, one-way routes, parking areas and delivery times. The guard enforces them by instruction, signage and control of barriers.
• On public roads, controlling traffic is a police function. Do not step into a public road to stop or direct traffic unless the police have asked you to and you are equipped and briefed for it. At major events, the police observer and traffic police lead off-site traffic. Federal Law No. 8 of 2014 gives the event security officer a role only in coordination with the police observer.
• Guards may not punish drivers by blocking them in, taking their keys or confiscating vehicles. Record the details and report breaches to the supervisor or client.

The site traffic plan

A well-run site has a written traffic plan in the assignment instructions. The guard should know:

Positioning and visibility

1. Wear high-visibility clothing at all times on vehicle duty, and carry an illuminated baton or torch at night.
2. Stand to the side of the lane, never in the path of a moving vehicle, and keep an escape route behind you.
3. Make eye contact with the driver before giving a signal. Never assume a driver has seen you.
4. Give one instruction at a time to one vehicle at a time.
5. Midday heat: from 15 June to 15 September, outdoor work in direct sun stops between 12:30 and 3:00 pm. Gate duty in those hours should be done from a shaded or air-conditioned booth wherever possible.

Standard hand signals

Use a whistle only to attract attention, never as a substitute for a clear signal.

Reversing vehicles and loading bays

Reversing vehicles cause a large share of on-site injuries. Wherever possible:

• design routes so that vehicles drive forward;
• when reversing is unavoidable, use one trained banksman who stays visible in the driver's mirror and at a safe distance to the side, never directly behind the vehicle;
• agree signals with the driver before they move, and tell the driver to stop immediately if they lose sight of the banksman;
• keep other pedestrians out of the reversing area.

Gates and barriers

• Admit one vehicle at a time through a barrier, and watch for tailgating, where a second vehicle follows closely through on someone else's authorisation.
• Do not raise the barrier until the driver's pass, booking or delivery documents have been checked (Section 6.3).
• Never stand where a barrier arm, bollard or sliding gate could strike you.
• If a vehicle forces the barrier, do not step in front of it. Note the plate and direction of travel and call 999.

Emergency vehicles

When an alarm sounds or an ambulance or Civil Defence unit is called:

1. Clear the access route and remove cones or parked vehicles from the fire lane.
2. Send a guard to the main gate to meet and guide the crew to the exact location.
3. Hold back other vehicles and pedestrians until the emergency vehicles are in position.
4. Keep the route clear for the vehicles' departure.

Parking control

• Enforce allocated parking politely, and keep accessible bays free for People of Determination.
• Record vehicles left overnight or abandoned, noting the plate, emirate, make, colour and location, and report them to the supervisor.
• Report suspicious vehicles, such as one parked close to a building with nobody returning to it, using the precautions in Section 4.3.

Collisions on site

1. Protect the scene. Switch on hazard lights if you can do so safely, place cones and stop other traffic.
2. Check for injuries. Give first aid and call 998 for an ambulance if anyone is hurt.
3. Call the police (999) where required, for example if there are injuries, disputed responsibility or damage to client property. Follow police instructions about moving the vehicles.
4. Do not move injured people unless they are in immediate danger.
5. Record the time, location, vehicles (plate, make, colour), drivers' names and ID details, witnesses, weather and lighting, and what you saw. Ask the control room to preserve CCTV.

Case study: the school gate

Guard Saeed controls the drop-off lane at a private school. A parent stops in the bus bay and starts reversing to reach a parking space. Saeed signals stop with a raised palm, makes eye contact and walks to the driver's window. He explains calmly that the bay is reserved for buses and points to the drop-off lane. He then guides the car forward out of the bay. He logs the incident, and because the problem recurs, he recommends extra signage to the supervisor.

Section summary checklist

• Site traffic belongs to the guard. Public-road traffic belongs to the police.
• High-visibility clothing, stand to the side, eye contact, one clear signal at a time.
• Use a banksman in the mirror for reversing. Stop if contact is lost.
• One vehicle per barrier cycle, and watch for tailgating.
• Keep fire lanes clear, and meet and guide emergency vehicles.
• After a collision: protect, give first aid, call 998 or 999, record the details.