Quick answer
Design the site to keep people and vehicles apart where reasonably practicable. Reduce reversing and conflicting movements, provide suitable routes and controlled crossings, and make arrangements clear to drivers and pedestrians. Check the plan during real deliveries and shifts.
Why paint and a warning sign may not control the conflict
A marked walkway can still lead across a busy reversing area. HSE’s pedestrian-and-vehicle guidance gives priority to effective separation and suitable routes, including where people naturally walk.
This guide focuses on movements within and around the workplace. Public-road journeys involve additional driving risks that need their own management.
Map movements before selecting controls
| Map | Question to resolve |
|---|---|
| People | Where do workers, visiting drivers, customers and other visitors actually walk? |
| Vehicles | What vehicles arrive, when, and what space and visibility do they need? |
| Conflicts | Where do routes cross or loading, reversing and pedestrian activity overlap? |
| Conditions | Are surfaces, lighting, obstructions and sightlines suitable? |
| Control and ownership | Who coordinates access, delivery timing, driver information and changes? |
Include unexpected arrivals, shift changes and waste collections, not only the normal delivery slot.
Separate movements and reduce the need to reverse
Consider physically separate routes and doors, safe crossing arrangements and controlled access to vehicle-working areas. Where complete separation is impracticable, assess a suitable combination of controls rather than relying on high-visibility clothing alone.
HSE’s traffic-management guidance recommends avoiding reversing as far as possible and controlling unavoidable reversing. Consider layout and scheduling first. Any signaller role needs appropriate training, a safe system and clear communication; do not send an untrained worker behind a vehicle to “help”.
Brief drivers and check the arrangement in use
Explain where to report, park, wait and walk, and how loading or unloading is authorised. Provide information before a visiting driver has to work out the rules while manoeuvring.
Observe actual use. Do pedestrians take a shortcut because the planned route is obstructed or impractical? Do arriving vehicles block a crossing? Assign action and check whether the change resolves the conflict.
Example: deliveries overlap with staff arrival
A food warehouse receives deliveries at the same time staff walk from parking to the entrance. The manager maps the movements with workers and drivers, then assesses effective separation, route changes and arrival coordination.
The chosen arrangement is checked during a real arrival period, including access for visiting drivers. It is not considered complete simply because a line has been repainted.
For NI use HSENI’s workplace-transport guidance and relevant NI duties.
Common mistakes
- A route that ignores natural walking paths.
- Uncontrolled reversing into a shared area.
- No induction for visiting drivers.
- A universal speed number chosen without considering the site.
Next steps
Walk and map the site during a busy movement period with the relevant workers and competent adviser. Prioritise separation and conflict removal, then verify the agreed controls in normal operation.
Plan pedestrian and vehicle separation with HSE guidance — Site layout, traffic controls and competent operational planning need assessment of the actual vehicles and movements.