Case study: All Access Crewing - managing on-site traffic

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland and Brisbane based business All Access Crewing (AAC) have joined forces to create an onsite traffic management (OSTM) guide designed to improve safety for pedestrians.

AAC delivers equipment, stages, food, sets, stalls and furniture to small and medium sized sport, music, food market, arts and cultural events. These deliveries and pick-ups usually have tight time frames and involve multiple parties on site.

Event delivery and pick-up activities occur across a variety of sites, each with their own unique traffic management conditions. The risk of trucks, forklifts and other mobile plant colliding with pedestrians (including members of the public) during these activities is significant if not managed effectively.

During set-up and dismantling, these sites involve:

• vehicles entering, exiting and moving around unpredictably on site
• loaders pushing cases and forklifts in all directions
• mobile plant using the same access and exit ramps
• forklift operators unloading trucks in the vicinity of pedestrians.

Generally, there is no central OSTM system, leaving drivers and operators to devise their own approach to managing safety, which can create additional risks.

AAC improved its OSTM by developing and implementing a traffic management plan. AAC’s plan incorporated a range of simple yet effective procedures and practices to manage the risk of workers and pedestrians being hit by vehicles and mobile plant.

Key elements of the plan included:

• placing barriers around the rear of forklifts to exclude pedestrians and using barriers, fences or exclusion zones to isolate workers from plant
• using spotters when space is limited
• establishing separate pedestrian access and egress routes between trucks and ensuring trucks park 2m apart to allow for sufficient pedestrian access
• establishing separate routes for plant and workers where possible
• assigning spotters to help safely guide and coordinate the movement of plant
• using designated work areas for plant and worker activities
• establishing separate site entry and exit points for plant and workers
• establishing dedicated loading/unloading zones
• hitching and unhitching trailers and reversing vehicles, away from people and walkways.

Further information

For more resources and guidance on managing OSTM in your workplace, check-out the case studies, self-assessment tools and short films at www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/