10.3 Site Traffic, Young Workers, Lone Working & Permits to Work
Key Takeaways
Pedestrian routes keep people and vehicles apart; if the system is not working, tell your supervisor rather than dodging traffic.
Never ride on plant or vehicles unless they are designed to carry passengers and have a seat for you.
Young people under 18 are at particular risk because they are inexperienced and may not recognise danger, so employers must risk assess and supervise them.
When working alone, make sure someone responsible knows where you are and agree regular check-ins.
A permit to work is a written safe system of work that allows high-risk work to start only when the specified precautions are in place.
10.3 Site Traffic, Young Workers, Lone Working & Permits to Work
The Special Site Hazards topic is not only about asbestos, confined spaces and buried cables. The ECS syllabus also expects you to understand the dangers to pedestrians from vehicles on site, the additional risks to young people and lone workers, and how permit-to-work systems control high-risk jobs. In these areas your own behaviour, such as where you walk, what you ride on and who knows where you are, makes the difference.
Vehicles and Pedestrians
Being struck by a moving vehicle is one of the main causes of death on construction sites. CDM 2015 requires construction sites to be organised so that pedestrians and vehicles can move safely, and traffic routes must be suitable and properly maintained. A good site traffic plan includes:
- Segregated routes: separate, clearly marked pedestrian walkways with barriers, and separate gates for people and vehicles.
- One-way systems and turning areas, so that reversing is kept to a minimum.
- Trained vehicle marshals (banksmen) to guide reversing vehicles where reversing cannot be avoided.
- Visibility aids such as mirrors, cameras and reversing alarms, plus high-visibility clothing for everyone on foot.
- Speed limits, lighting and safe crossing points.
What this means for you:
- Use the pedestrian routes provided. If you keep having to dodge site traffic because the routes do not work, tell your supervisor about the danger. Do not just walk round the edges of the site or have a quiet word with the drivers.
- Never ride on plant or vehicles unless they are designed to carry passengers and have a proper seat for you. Riding on the back of a dumper, in a telehandler bucket or on the step of a lorry kills workers every year, whatever the distance or the weather.
- Stay out of blind spots. If you cannot see the driver's face, the driver cannot see you.
- Never walk under suspended loads or through areas where plant is working without the marshal's signal.
Young People at Work
A young person is anyone under 18. Health and safety guidance lists young people as being at particular risk because they are inexperienced and may not recognise danger; they may also be keen to impress or reluctant to ask questions. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to:
- Carry out a risk assessment that takes account of the young person's inexperience and immaturity before they start work.
- Not employ young people on work beyond their physical or psychological capacity, or involving harmful exposure to toxic substances, radiation, extreme heat or cold, noise or vibration, unless it is necessary for their training, they are supervised by a competent person, and the risk is reduced as low as reasonably practicable.
- Provide close supervision, clear instructions and training.
Young people get the same PPE and the same legal protection as everyone else. Nothing in law allows them to be left to work alone to gain experience.
Lone Working
Working alone is not automatically illegal, but it must be risk assessed. Some work must not be done alone, such as entering a confined space, work on or near live conductors where accompaniment is one of the precautions, or work where an injury would leave you unable to summon help. Where lone working is allowed:
- Make sure someone responsible knows where you are, what you are doing and when you expect to finish.
- Agree regular check-in times by phone or radio, and what will happen if you miss one.
- Carry a charged phone or a lone-worker alarm.
- Keep to the agreed safe working arrangements: do not skip PPE or take on extra tasks because nobody is watching.
- If you have a problem, ask for help rather than trying to sort it out yourself.
Permit-to-Work Systems
A permit to work is a written safe system of work used to control certain types of high-risk work. It allows work to start only when site procedures have been clarified and the specified precautions are in place. Permits are commonly used for:
| Work | Typical permit controls |
|---|---|
| Hot work | Combustibles cleared, extinguisher present, fire watch after the work |
| Confined space entry | Atmosphere tested, ventilation, rescue plan and rescue equipment |
| Work on high-voltage electrical systems | Isolation, earthing, the equipment made safe and the work defined |
| Excavation near buried services | Plans checked, services located, hand-dig zone marked |
| Roof work and fragile surfaces | Access, edge protection, covers and weather limits |
A permit states what the work is, where it is, which hazards have been controlled, which precautions must stay in place, and how long it is valid. It is signed by the person issuing it and accepted by the person in charge of the work, and it must be handed back and cancelled when the work is finished. A permit is not a way of speeding up a job, guaranteeing payment or checking tools; its purpose is to help ensure a safe system of work.
Excavations
Before anyone enters an excavation, it must be inspected by a competent person who understands the risks of the sides collapsing, falling materials, flooding and buried services. Excavations must be inspected at the start of each shift and after any event that could affect their stability, such as a fall of material. Keep spoil, materials and plant back from the edge, and never enter an unsupported trench where the sides could collapse.
ECS Exam Focus
- Dodging site traffic on your route: tell your supervisor about the danger.
- Riding in plant: only if it is designed to carry passengers.
- Young people: at risk because they are inexperienced and may not recognise danger.
- Working alone: make sure someone responsible knows where you are.
- Purpose of a permit to work: to help ensure a safe system of work.
- Before entering an excavation: inspection by a competent person.
Why may young people be more at risk on site?
They are usually left to work alone to gain experience
Employers do not have to give young people PPE
They are inexperienced and may not recognise danger
No specific health and safety law applies to them
What is the purpose of a permit-to-work system?
To make sure the job is done by the quickest method
To make sure the client pays for the work
To help ensure a safe system of work
To have tools and equipment checked before work starts
When can a mobile plant operator let you ride in their machine?
At any time, as long as the operator agrees
When it is designed to carry passengers
When you have a long way to walk across the site
When it is raining heavily and the route is muddy
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.