Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires every employer
to make a "suitable and sufficient" assessment of the risks to employees and to others affected by
the work. It must be reviewed if "there is reason to suspect that it is no longer valid" or "there
has been a significant change". If you employ five or more people, you must record the significant
findings.
For vehicles specifically, regulation 17 of the Workplace Regulations 1992 says: "Every workplace
shall be organised in such a way that pedestrians and vehicles can circulate in a safe manner."
You do not have to remove every risk. HSE says you need to do everything "reasonably practicable"
to protect people from harm, which means "balancing the level of risk against the measures needed
to control the real risk in terms of money, time or trouble."
Words you will meet
Hazard: something that could cause harm, such as a reversing lorry.
Risk: how likely it is that someone is harmed, and how badly.
Control: what you do to reduce the risk, such as a barrier, a rule or a camera.
Segregation: keeping people on foot and vehicles apart, ideally by physical separation.
Banksman (signaller): a trained person who guides a reversing vehicle. HSE treats this as a
last resort.
Significant findings: the hazards, who might be harmed and how, and what you are doing about
them. This is the part you must write down.
How do you do it? HSE's five steps, applied to vehicles
1. Identify the hazards. HSE's transport guide (HSG136) says to "Monitor your workplace
activities involving vehicles (including visiting vehicles) over a reasonable period to build up a
clear picture of vehicle and pedestrian traffic movements". Walk the site at different times. Look
at your accident and near-miss records. HSE also says to "Take account of non-routine operations,
such as maintenance, cleaning or changes in production cycles."
2. Assess the risks. For each hazard, decide who might be harmed and how. HSE's list includes
employees, contractors, visitors and members of the public. HSG136 asks you to think about people
with particular needs, including "new and young workers, migrant workers", "temporary workers,
contractors and lone workers". In a yard, that means agency staff and visiting drivers.
3. Control the risks. Start with the strongest controls. Can you remove the hazard altogether,
for example by designing out reversing? If not, separate people and vehicles, then add rules,
training and protective clothing. The hierarchy of controls
explains the order.
4. Record your findings. Use HSE's columns, as in the example below. HSE warns: "Do not rely
purely on paperwork as your main priority should be to control the risks in practice."
5. Review the controls. HSE says you "must review the controls you have put in place to make
sure they are working", and to consider a review if workers have spotted problems "or there have
been any accidents or near misses". A
routine segregation check is a good way to do it.
What does a good one look like?
The site: a third-party logistics warehouse with 12 dock doors, a trailer yard, a staff car park
and an office building. About 40 staff work over two shifts, with agency staff added at peak. Around
60 HGV visits a day, plus a shunter moving trailers in the yard. Forklifts load and unload at the
docks.
Assessment carried out by: Site manager, with the shift supervisors and two forklift drivers.
Hazard 1: HGVs reversing onto dock doors
Who might be harmed and how: yard staff, visiting drivers and anyone crossing the yard, struck
or crushed by a reversing HGV.
What we already do: marked reversing area in front of the docks; reversing alarms on our own
shunter; "no pedestrians" signs.
Further action: paint a walkway along the building line, outside the reversing area; fit a
barrier at the end of the walkway so it cannot be shortcut; brief visiting drivers at the gate to
stay in the cab or the drivers' room while reversing is under way.
Who: site manager (walkway, barrier); gatehouse (briefing).
When: walkway and barrier within 4 weeks; briefing from Monday.
Hazard 2: Lorries driving away during loading ("drive-away")
Who might be harmed and how: forklift drivers falling from the dock edge or trailer if the
lorry pulls away while a forklift is on board.
What we already do: drivers are told verbally to wait.
Further action: a key-holding system, where the driver hands keys to the dock office and gets
them back only when loading is finished. HSG136 lists "systems for controlling access to vehicle
keys or the cab" and "wheel chocks" among the ways to stop vehicles moving.
Who: warehouse manager. When: within 2 weeks.
Hazard 3: Staff walking from the car park to the office across the yard
Who might be harmed and how: staff and visitors struck by an HGV or the shunter, especially at
shift change and in the dark.
What we already do: zebra markings across the yard road; lighting on the building.
Further action: move the pedestrian gate so the route to the office does not cross the yard at
all; until then, a barrier-controlled crossing at shift change. Check the crossing lighting after
dark.
Who: site manager. When: crossing within 2 weeks; gate move costed by end of quarter.
Hazard 4: Forklifts and people in the same aisles and at the dock
Who might be harmed and how: pickers and visitors struck by forklifts, particularly at aisle
ends and dock doors.
What we already do: trained and authorised drivers (see L117);
blue warning lights on trucks; walkways marked in the main aisle.
Further action: a pedestrian-free zone at the dock during loading; convex mirrors at the two
blind aisle ends; supervisors to watch the dock at the start of each shift for two weeks and
record what they see.
Who: warehouse manager and shift supervisors. When: within 2 weeks.
Hazard 5: Visiting drivers walking around the yard
Who might be harmed and how: visiting drivers struck by the shunter or forklifts while opening
doors, checking loads or looking for the office.
What we already do: site rules on the website.
Further action: a site map with pictures at the gate, in the three most common languages; a
marked safe waiting area by each dock; tell drivers they can stop loading for safety reasons, as
HSG136 advises. See the visiting drivers guide, written for
ports, with the same principles.
Who: transport office. When: within 4 weeks.
Hazard 6: Changes at peak season
Who might be harmed and how: everyone, as extra trailers, agency staff and temporary storage
change routes and sight lines.
What we already do: nothing specific.
Further action: review this assessment before peak; walk the yard in the first week of peak on
both shifts; brief agency staff on routes on their first day.
Who: site manager. When: two weeks before peak starts.
Review date: after peak, or sooner if anything changes or there is an accident or near miss.
Common mistakes
When should you get competent help?
Next steps
Use the free template (Word or PDF) above. It has the same columns as HSE's own, with prompts for
vehicles and people on foot.
Do I need a separate workplace transport risk assessment?
Not necessarily. The law requires a suitable and sufficient risk assessment covering the risks of
your work, and vehicles are part of that. Many sites with significant vehicle movements keep a
separate transport section or document because it is easier to review and to turn into a traffic
management plan.
Who should carry out a workplace transport risk assessment?
The employer is responsible, but the work is best done by someone who knows the site, with input
from the people who drive and walk there. HSE says you can do it yourself or appoint a competent
person to help. For large or complex sites, competent help is advisable.
What should a workplace transport risk assessment include?
The hazards involving vehicles and people on foot; who might be harmed and how; what you already do
to control the risks; what further action is needed; who will do it and by when. Those are the
columns in HSE's own risk assessment template.
How often should a workplace transport risk assessment be reviewed?
HSE sets no fixed interval. The law requires a review if there is reason to suspect the assessment
is no longer valid, or there has been a significant change. Practical triggers include a new
layout, new vehicles, a new shift pattern, peak season, or any accident or near miss.
Do I need a risk matrix or risk scores?
No. HSE's own template does not use one. Many organisations use a likelihood-and-severity score to
help prioritise, which is fine, but the score is not a substitute for deciding what to do, who will
do it and by when.
Can I just copy an example risk assessment?
No. HSE says that copying an example and putting your company name on it "would not satisfy the law
and would not protect your employees." Use examples to see the method, then walk your own site.
A risk assessment says what should happen in the yard. Do you know what actually happens there on the night shift? Safety Mapping: a free two-week trial on one camera.
By Hao Zheng, CEO at RoboK · Published 31 October 2026 · Last updated 31 October 2026