Hazards in vehicle operations

Street works present particular hazards to pedestrians and many of these hazards are discussed in Chapters 7, 8, 9 and 10. Work on a pavement or road is hazardous for both members of the public and the construction workers. Pavements should be kept clear of tripping hazards, such as trailing cables. The site must be well lit at night. Road traffic past the site may also need to be controlled to protect the workforce. Members of the public and traffic vehicles must also be protected from the elbows of loaders, excavators and cranes which may swing into their path. More detailed advice is available from the Code of Practice Safety at street works and road works related to the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991. The following points for the protection of pedestrians should be considered when work in streets or similar areas is being planned  

Many different kinds of vehicle are used in the workplace, including dumper trucks, heavy goods vehicles, all terrain vehicles and, perhaps the most common, the fork lift truck. Approximately 70 persons are killed annually following vehicle accidents in the workplace. There are also over 1000 major accidents (involving serious fractures, head injuries and amputations) caused by  

Risks of injuries to empioyees and members of the pubiic invoiving vehicies couid arise due to the foiiowing occurrences  

There are severai other more general hazardous situations invoiving pedestrians and vehicles. These include the following  

Vehicle operations need to be carefully planned so that the possibility of accidents is minimized. 

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