Workplace transport safety An employers' guide - ARRI Lighting Rental

Figure 13 A lift truck passing through an interrupted road hump
Health and Safety
Executive
361 Some vehicles (for example, some lift trucks) may also have trouble passing
through chicanes safely, especially if they are carrying stacked loads.
362 Speed limits are also used widely, but they need to be used sensibly. Speed
limits have to be practical, otherwise drivers will be tempted to break them.
363 Common problems with speed limits are that they are poorly signed, not
appropriate or not enforced. They are often set by guessing, but this can result in
an unreasonable speed limit that is very difficult to enforce. Also, speedometers
often don’t work effectively at low speeds, and some internal site transport vehicles
don’t have speedometers at all.
364 It is quite common for sites to set the same speed limit across a whole site.
This is not usually effective, and can be very difficult to enforce. Often, you will need
to decide on individual speed limits for different routes, because the types of traffic
and task are different.
365 Speed limits need to be appropriate for:
n the vehicles using the route;
n the types of load they carry and how they carry them;
n the driving surface;
n the layout of the route, including how tight the bends are and visibility at
junctions;
n hazards along the way; and
n work that takes place on or near the route.
366 To decide an appropriate limit, you should measure the actual speeds that
vehicles are travelling at various locations along the route. The limit you decide on
should be sensible considering these speeds. The limit should be a safe speed, but
if it is unreasonably slow, drivers will be tempted to ignore it completely.
367 When assessing the appropriate speed limit for a particular place, you may
need professional advice based on the route layout and character of the site.
368 There is more information about enforcing health and safety rules in Control,
co-operation and consultation (paragraphs 126-153) in the chapter Organising for
safety.
369 Speed limit signs may need to be repeated around the factory roads instead
of just one sign being put up at the entrance to a limit area. This will depend on
the size of the limit area, and whether drivers are likely to know (or need reminding)
about the speed limit. You can find out more about how you could use signs,
signals and markings in paragraphs 393-402.
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