One of the leading figures in the road markings industry has made a powerful plea for companies to adopt new guidance on temporary traffic management to keep workers safe, stating that the Health and Safety Executive 'will not care' about any excuses.
The new guidance from the Road Safety Markings Association (RSMA), Guidance for Temporary Traffic Management at Minor Static Road Marking Sites, covers signing, lighting and the guarding of minor road marking sites.
It was first reported by Highways last month and featured in the January/February issue of the magazine.
At the RSMA Conference this month, Greg Clark, managing director and business owner of QMS Ltd, which led the trials of the new guidance, gave a powerful presentation urging companies to take on the guidance.
He said: 'If you choose not to adopt this system and something were to happen to your team, how would you feel? In the worst-case scenario, the situation none of us want to be in, following an incident, resulting in an operative fatality, could you tell their loved ones that you did everything in your power to ensure the safety and protection of the workforce?
'Believe me, the Health and Safety Executive will not care if it's going to take too long. They will not care if it's going to cost too much. The duty of care as employers is on you.'
Mr Clark revealed that his teams 'have already completed around 500 give way junctions using the new system'.
'We have found that most traffic management installs or removals are completed within 15 minutes or less. The time needed to carry out the installation of the junction markings is needed with or without traffic management. Therefore by implementing this new process, we are only adding around 15 minutes to the completion of a junction. So, is an extra 15 minutes too long to ensure a safe working environment for your teams?'
Mr Clark outlined a typical give way junction operation in his speech: 'The traffic management layout in the new guidance document uses 10 signs, with a 15-minute temporary closure and most importantly a safe working zone for the crew.
'We were working in Devon and we set ourselves the challenge to secure approval for this new system. We presented our plan to the client, focusing on safety and efficiency and without hesitation they gave us the green light. We didn’t stop there. We made the investment – two dedicated traffic management vehicles, one for each of our junction marking teams specifically for this new traffic management process and signage to match.
'The TM vehicle is fitted with a sign rack ensuring each sign is easily stored and ready for deployment. The process is executed smoothly, efficiently and safely. They install the signs, place the sandbags and position the cones and in just 10 minutes or so the TM is in place. The area is fully secured, reducing the risk of accidents, improving operative safety and once the TM is in place putting the lines down actually happens quicker. The TM removal is just as efficient, less than 10 minutes to pack it all up and move on to the next junction.'
He added that the system prompts better behaviour from drivers as well: 'The feedback from our operatives has been overwhelmingly positive with one key takeaway: they feel safer. Drivers slow down as they approach the junction and they are more understanding of the minor delay caused by the temporary closure. To add an extra layer of safety we have equipped our vehicles with CCTV and dashcams along with signage stating CCTV in use to deter any unwanted behaviour.'
Training
When asked by delegates about training for the new guidance, Mr Clark said: As part of the Highways Sector Scheme Seven [For the Application of Road Marking Materials and Road Studs to Paved Surfaces] requirements there is an element for the operatives to have basic traffic management training so all of our operatives have that.
'It is our understanding that the guidance document that has been put together falls in line with what sector scheme seven requires.'
Chevron chief engineer Keith Smith, who also worked on the guidance, added: 'The initial idea was that because the Highways Sector Scheme 12 [covering traffic management across various road types] training doesn’t specifically cover this, it would probably be better to do the street works training and sort of overtrain for street works particularly as this is aimed at local authorities.
'But there is a training package envisaged to sit alongside it. I think at the moment it sits in Sector Scheme 7 with street works training as it is probably more recognisable to the current target audience which is local authorities.'
Mr Clark noted that 'traffic management has advanced on the strategic network but for local authorities, well let's just say there's room for improvement'.
One issue that was raised in questioning is that the guidance does not appear to have been thoroughly tested yet in the urban environment as QMS was working on rural junctions.
