Safe immobilisation of vehicles audit campaign

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland inspectors will audit businesses in all industries across the state to assess how the risks of vehicles rolling away or moving unintentionally are being managed. Vehicle roll-away incidents pose grave risks to workers and others and unfortunately continue to occur across all industry sectors.

This audit campaign will first increase awareness of roll-way risks and controls through education and advice, followed by an enforcement phase in 2023 where inspectors will visit workplaces to assess compliance. Workplaces and transport operators with the greatest vehicle immobilisation exposure risks will be targeted. The audits will focus on:

• safe systems of work for vehicles exiting and entering sites
• safe systems of work for workers exiting and entering vehicles during work
• adequacy of worker training, information, supervision and instruction to manage immobilisation risks
• ensuring vehicles are properly maintained
• use of (where appropriate) and maintenance of brake alarms.

Consultative or contractual arrangements between businesses that manage vehicle immobilisation risks, between businesses and the transport operators coming onto their sites, and between transport operators and their subcontractors will also be targeted.

A key message will be that vehicles used for work are considered a workplace and therefore safe systems of work must be adopted and implemented at all times.

People with control over sites visited by work vehicles, or those who own or operate work vehicles, should not just expect immobilisation risks to be solely controlled by workers applying the handbrake. Rather, these risks should be managed systematically and holistically, using the highest level of control measures available.

More information

For more information visit the Safely immobilising vehicles campaign webpage.

If you have any innovative solutions or suggestions for managing immobilisation risks that you’d like to share, email them to IndustryStrategy@oir.qld.gov.au.