Three duties matter most for vehicles and people on foot:
A safe layout. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, regulation 17:
"Every workplace shall be organised in such a way that pedestrians and vehicles can circulate in a
safe manner." Where vehicles and people on foot share a route, there must be "sufficient separation
between them".
A risk assessment for this site. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999,
regulation 3, require a "suitable and sufficient assessment" of the risks, reviewed if "there has
been a significant change in the matters to which it relates". A new site is a significant change.
The old site's assessment is a starting point, not an answer.
Building work. While the site is still being built or fitted out, the Construction (Design and
Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM) apply to that work. This guide is about the site once it
operates.
What should be in place before day one?
The free one-page checklist on this page (Word or PDF) covers everything in this section, with space for
who and by when.
Design (the strongest controls, and cheapest now)
People and vehicles apart. HSE: "Segregating pedestrians from vehicles, preferably by making
routes entirely separate, is the most effective way of protecting them." Put walkways where people
will actually walk, which HSE suggests means making them "correspond to the paths people would
naturally follow".
Less reversing. "One-way systems are designed to limit reversing and prevent conflicting
movements caused by ‘two-way’ traffic flow." Where you can, add drive-through loading and parking:
HSE suggests "drive-through parking areas for larger vehicles to eliminate the need for
reversing."
Light. "All traffic routes, manoeuvring areas and yards should be adequately lit, particularly
near junctions, buildings, plant and pedestrian routes." Check it after dark, before opening.
Loading bays. Decide how lorries are stopped from pulling away during loading, and where
drivers wait.
Paperwork that matches this site
A traffic management plan drawn on this site's plan,
with routes, crossings, speed limits and loading rules.
Site rules and a simple map for visiting drivers, handed out at the gate.
People
Every driver trained and authorised for the vehicles they will use here. For forklifts, see
L117 in plain English.
Everyone briefed on the new routes, including agency staff and contractors. The
toolbox talks are a quick way to do it.
A way to report near misses from the first shift, such as the free
near miss report form.
What should you check in the first weeks?
A new site never runs exactly as drawn. People find shortcuts, deliveries arrive at times nobody
planned for, and the busiest hour turns out to be a different one.
Watch real operations. Busy hours, shift changes and the first night shift, not a quiet
afternoon.
Look for desire lines. Worn paths and gaps in barriers show where people actually walk.
Read every near miss. In the first weeks they show where the design is not working.
Fix the layout while it is easy. Moving a barrier in week two costs little. In year two it
means rewriting the routine everyone has got used to.
A new site is the one time the layout is still cheap to change. Use the first weeks to find out
where it is wrong.
What does a pre-opening review look like?
Site: a new distribution centre with 20 loading doors, four counterbalance forklifts and a staff
car park on the far side of the yard. Opening in three weeks.
What the walk found
Fix before opening
Who, by when
The only walkway from the car park crosses the lorry turning area
Fenced walkway along the yard edge, with a crossing at a straight stretch
Project manager, 2 weeks
Lorries must reverse twice to reach doors 18 to 20
One-way route clockwise round the building
Project manager, 2 weeks
No set place for drivers during loading
Drivers' waiting room by the gatehouse; keys handed in at the gate
Site manager, before opening
The yard is dark between the lighting columns at the far end
Two extra lights, checked after dark
Facilities, 1 week
Two weeks after opening, the site reviewed its near-miss reports and the walkway use, and moved one
crossing to where people were actually walking.
Yes. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require the assessment to be
reviewed if there has been a significant change, and a new site is one. The old site's assessment
can be a starting point, but the layout, routes and vehicles will differ.
What does the law say about traffic routes at work?
Regulation 17 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 says every workplace
must be organised so pedestrians and vehicles can circulate safely, with routes suitable for those
using them and sufficient separation where vehicles and pedestrians share a route.
Do I need a traffic management plan for a new warehouse?
There is no law that names a "traffic management plan". But you must assess and control workplace
transport risks, and a written plan, drawn on the site map, is the clearest way to show how you do
it. Our traffic management plan template is free.
What is the most effective way to protect pedestrians on a new site?
Separating them from vehicles, ideally on entirely separate routes. HSE's workplace transport guide
calls this the most effective way of protecting them. A new site is the easiest time to do it.
When should we review the layout after opening?
Watch it closely in the first weeks, including a night shift and the busiest hours, and review it
after the first month using near-miss reports and what you saw. Then check regularly, for example
monthly.