Workplace transport safety An employers' guide - ARRI Lighting Rental

Health and Safety
Executive
331 See Hardstandings (paragraphs 478-487) for more information about making
sure these sorts of surface are strong enough to support the loads they need to.
332 The sort of ground or surface that the route is laid on will also make a
difference to which type of paving is most suitable.
333 A surface gradient (or road camber) of about 1 in 40 should be enough to
provide drainage from most areas. Run-off water should be gathered into gullies or
drainage channels wherever possible, and all gratings and channel units should be
strong enough to bear loads suitable to their location.
334 Connections for surface run-off from roads, hardstandings and so on may have
to include ‘interception facilities’ where there is a risk of oil or chemical spillage.
335 You should not allow potholes to develop. If a pothole is found, it should be
repaired promptly.
336 For more information on designing and maintaining driving surfaces in a way
that is suitable for the vehicles that use them, see the Freight Transport Association
publication Designing for Deliveries. 8 You can also get information from Interpave
(the Precast Concrete Paving and Kerb Association) and other industry guidance.
337 You should also consider the services of a qualified engineering practice.
Figure 10 Diagrammatic cross section of a road
Temporary workplaces and unprepared roadways
338 Temporary workplaces (for example, construction sites and forestry operations)
and other types of site (for example, some farms) often have routes for vehicles
and pedestrians that change as work progresses, or ‘unprepared’ routes such as
unsurfaced roads or open ground.
339 It is important that you plan these routes carefully, including any intended
changes, as they should meet the same basic safety standards that apply to
‘prepared’ routes. In other words, they should be suitable for their purpose, have
firm and even surfaces, be properly drained, and have no slopes that are too steep.
340 Many common surfaces on temporary roadways can suffer from ‘ponding’
(standing water gathering). The condition of these surfaces will quickly get worse in
wet conditions if they are not properly drained.
341 Try to make sure that temporary routes follow natural contours of the ground
wherever possible, so that natural drainage works for you, not against you.
342 Longer sloping roads will benefit from a varying slope, rather than a constant
gradient, as this will help prevent water from ponding at the bottom of the slope.
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