BSI, the business standards company, has published Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 13, Code of practice for safety barriers used in traffic management at workplaces, with test methods for impact resilience.
According to the regulator the Health and Safety Executive about 50 people are killed each year, and more than 5,000 injured, in UK accidents involving workplace transport. PAS 13 outlines good practice in traffic management procedures for a workplace and provides a standard for their safety barriers.
Mixing vehicles and pedestrians increases the risk of potential accidents, hence it is imperative to minimise the associated risks. PAS 13 gives recommendations for impact resilience, dimensions and positions of safety barriers in the workplace; guidance on how to manage the risks associated with vehicles; and specifies ways for testing the impact resilience of a barrier.
The PAS was developed with input from Allianz Insurance, British Industrial Truck Association, DHL, Health and Safety Executive, Jaguar Land Rover, The University of Manchester, and the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, among others.
Anne Hayes, Head of Governance and Resilience at BSI, said: “Workplace safety is a serious matter not only for businesses and their employees, but also for the general public who may interact within the geographical environment where businesses operate. BSI’s new code of practice is a valuable guidance tool for any person with a health and safety focus, especially where moving vehicles or the protection of personnel, equipment and vital structures is concerned.
“Each workplace is unique and presents different hazards and risks. With a well-designed and maintained workplace with a reasonable segregation of vehicles and people, fewer workplace accidents are likely to arise.”
BSI says that PAS 13 is for health and safety managers, procurement specialists, directors, facility and project managers; and those who want to apply traffic management procedures and those who test and measure the performance of safety barriers.
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