Construction Safety Week – Tuesday 20th October

According to the HSA, an average of twenty people are killed at Irish workplaces following interactions with vehicles. The law requires that pedestrians and vehicles must co-exist safely both in indoor and outdoor places of work. Where vehicles are operating, the vulnerable group may be co-workers, visitors or members of the public. In order to protect pedestrians, vehicle travel routes should be clearly delineated, with enough clearance space between persons and vehicles.
For all sites the Plant & People Hierarchy of Control is to be followed:

• Avoid – Avoid the need for people to be within the immediate proximity of moving plant and vehicles through the design, planning and sequencing of the works and transport routes.

• Prevent – Locate pedestrian routes out of areas of plant/operations, define safe routes for all vehicles/plant & pedestrian operations on site, locate plant & vehicle marshals in designated places of safety & use proven technology, such as proximity alarms, to identify when people are encroaching near to operated plant.

• Mitigate – Ensure all plant operates with 360° all round visibility by means of mirrors, CCTV, Vehicle Collision Avoidance Systems (VCAS) or other suitable visibility aids effective at all times, Effective communication between operatives is required to approach plant and the driver & Provide warning signs, visibility aids such as mirrors and suitable positive traffic control measures, e.g. traffic lights, passing points, or one-way systems.

Today, GMC will be delivering TBT’s and on site demonstrations on the keys risk of plant and people interfaces to reemphasise the requirement for adequate controls to be in place to mitigate these risks.

#CIFSafety20