Mobile plant: Managing the risks

Every year, a significant number of people are killed by accidents involving mobile plant in the workplace, and many more people are injured. Potential causes of incidents include unsafe vehicles, equipment failure, pedestrian collisions, communication failures, poor visibility, operator’s not trained or competent, risk taking behaviour, and operator distraction.

Statutory requirements include the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations which apply to the provision and use of all work equipment including mobile equipment, in all workplaces. The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations, deals with the specific risks arising from the use of work equipment to lift loads.

Since 1995, all new plant must meet the essential health and safety requirements of the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations. The outward signs of compliance are CE marking and a Declaration of Conformity document. Some items are designed to a harmonised European Standard such as EN 474-5 for excavators.

There are ACOPs specific to items of plant such as rider-operated lift trucks and British Standards for safe use of equipment such as BS 7121 – Code of practice for safe use of cranes, which give advice on how to comply with the law.

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations deal with the organisation etc. of traffic routes and workplaces (where applicable) and should be considered together with PUWER. CDM Regulations 2015 (regulations 27 & 28) apply to construction sites regarding safe use of vehicles. 

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations require you to carry out a risk assessment. Those in control of workplaces should undertake a risk assessment identifying the hazards associated with mobile plant tasks. Management, employees and safety representatives should be involved.

Traffic rules should be established as part of a safe system of work following risk assessment and communicated to all relevant persons. The risk assessment and traffic rules should be monitored and reviewed regularly.

There are three key areas: Safe workplaces, safe mobile plant and safe mobile plant operators and operations

For safe workplaces emphasis should be on site design and preventing pedestrians coming within the area of operation of mobile plant. Practical measures to consider include: segregated pedestrian routes to give safe access to work areas, traffic routes planned to minimise congestion and risk of collision, layout of road systems i.e. one-way where appropriate with clear sight lines, exclusion zones, restrictions i.e. height / width, overhead lines, avoiding edges with height drops and steep gradients, access and parking areas including contractors and deliveries, loading / unloading areas, speed limits, traffic signage and lighting.

For safe mobile plant, employers should select equipment that is fit-for-purpose and safe for use under the working conditions in which it will be employed. It should be inspected, tested, maintained and operated to comply with any OEM recommendations and applicable statutory requirements and best practice guidance.

A programme of pre-use visual checks, regular inspections, routine servicing and thorough examination should be established according to the manufacturer’s instructions and the risks associated with the use of each vehicle. There should be a system to ensure that all reported defects are rectified and recorded.

Conside all-round visibility, seat belts, Roll-Over Protection (ROPS), Falling Objects Protection (FOPS), brake testing, lighting & warnings, operator protection from residual hazards (noise, vibration, fumes, etc), and guarding.

For safe mobile plant operators and operations it is essential that operators are adequately trained and competent for their role. There are a number of recognised competence schemes that provide evidence of training and in some cases assessment – CPCS, MPQC, NPORS etc. 

It is also important that mobile plant operators are familiar with the specific machine they are operating and employers should ensure that operators have an appropriate level of fitness. Various good practice guides are available on-line.

Practical measures to consider include: effective supervision, communication, mobile phones, key control, loading / unloading operations (including tipping), rated capacity not exceeded, using quick hitches, safety zones and entry procedures etc.

MRS Training & Rescue can help with risk assessments and safe systems of work with regard to mobile plant and traffic management, traffic rules, inspection schemes, plant specifications, and safety checklists.