%201.svg)
%201.svg)
On-site driver safety: Are you getting the basics right?
Vehicle incidents are one of the leading causes of workplace deaths in the UK. While much attention is paid to managing vehicles in external road environments, the risks posed by vehicles on-site – including forklifts, delivery vehicles, and customer vehicles – are often underestimated.
The most common on-site vehicle risks
The most common on-site vehicle risks include:
- Pedestrian/vehicle conflicts: The greatest risk in most merchant environments is the interaction between vehicles and pedestrians. This includes customers, employees, and contractors.
- Reversing accidents: Reversing is particularly hazardous, as the driver's view is often limited. Many fatal workplace transport accidents occur during reversing manoeuvres.
- Forklift accidents: Forklifts are a significant source of risk in merchant environments, including the risk of being struck by the vehicle or the load being carried.
- Delivery vehicle incidents: The loading and unloading of delivery vehicles presents a range of risks, including falls from vehicles and crush injuries.
Getting the basics right
To manage on-site vehicle risks effectively, merchants should ensure they have the following basics in place:
- Traffic management plan: A documented traffic management plan that sets out the routes for vehicles and pedestrians, speed limits, and one-way systems.
- Physical segregation: Physical barriers, marked walkways, and clearly defined traffic routes to separate vehicles and pedestrians.
- Driver induction and training: All drivers – including delivery drivers and customers – should receive an induction that sets out the site rules and the risks they need to be aware of.
- Risk assessments: Task-specific risk assessments for all on-site vehicle activities, including loading and unloading, forklift operations, and delivery vehicle management.
- Vehicle maintenance: Regular checks and maintenance of all vehicles operating on-site, including forklifts and other mobile plant.
- Site layout review: Regular reviews of your site layout to identify and address any vehicle-related hazards.
Our driver safety services
Our team of health and safety consultants can provide a range of services to help you manage on-site vehicle risks, including traffic management plan reviews, risk assessment support, and driver training. Get in touch today to find out more.
Last updated
March 26, 2024
Opus Safety
Health & safety insights
Guidance, updates and practical advice for your sector.
Do I need a competent person if I have no in-house H&S expert?
Yes. Every UK employer must appoint one under Regulation 7. What happens if you do not, and how to appoint an external consultant.
Who can act as a competent person for a small business?
Small businesses can appoint the owner, a trained employee or an external consultant. How to choose, and what the law requires.
HSE prosecutions: Counting the cost of non-compliance
Two fall from height prosecutions in one week and a £120,000 dust fine. What recent HSE enforcement action means for your controls.
The psychology of safety: When workarounds become the way we work
Two machinery prosecutions show how shortcuts become standard practice. How to build a safety culture where the safe way is the default way.
Planning new or non-routine work: When the job changes, so do the risks
When work changes location, equipment or method, the risks change too. How to spot the triggers for reassessment and plan non-routine work safely.
Opus Safety partners with Lydia Walmsley Racing for the 2026 season
Opus Safety has joined Lydia Walmsley Racing as a partner for the rest of the 2026 Porsche Carwow Sprint Challenge GB season, starting at Knockhill.
Why Was the Health and Safety at Work Act Introduced?
Why was the Health and Safety at Work Act introduced? The disasters, the Robens Report and the duties the HSWA still places on UK employers today.
What Law Regulates Workplace Health and Safety? DSEAR Explained
What law regulates workplace health and safety? A clear guide to the HSWA, DSEAR and whether your business needs a DSEAR risk assessment.
Hot weather health and safety: six essential questions
Six essential questions to keep your team safe in hot weather – heat stress, hydration, PPE, first aid and driving – with practical steps for summer working.
HSE prosecutions: Workplace fatalities and seven-figure fines
Four recent HSE prosecutions – from a £1m refinery gas leak to fatal and life-changing injuries – and the simple controls that would have prevented them.
Why businesses choose
Opus Safety
We've worked across UK industry for years. The numbers show what our clients achieve when compliance becomes a strength, not a burden.
%201.svg)
