Safe waiting areas

14 August 2023

Do drivers attending your premises have a safe place to wait while their vehicles are loaded or unloaded, out of the way of moving vehicles and handling equipment?  The HSE recently released information regarding this.

Workers who visit worksites as part of their work must be provided with safe and easy access to welfare facilities such as toilets and handwashing facilities on site as required by the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. This includes drivers carrying out deliveries to and collections from a worksite. Refusing access, or not providing suitable facilities, is not allowed and is also against the law.

Where possible, drivers should be provided with a dedicated waiting or rest area from where they can access toilets and handwashing facilities. If there is no suitable waiting room or area, it is advisable that drivers should wait in their cabs while their vehicles are being loaded or unloaded.

Regarding drivers in their cabs, you must ensure they also have safe and easy access to welfare facilities on site. Any walkways should be clearly marked and signposted and protected from vehicle incursion.

Operators must also consider the risk of driveaway incidents (where the driver accidentally sets off before loading/unloading is finished) and take steps to control it that are equivalent in safety to removing the driver from the cab. More information can be found at Workplace transport safety – A guide to workplace transport safety.

Find out more at the HSE’s website here.

Contact our regulatory team here if you need any advice.