Roadside repair and recovery: Road traffic incidents (RTIs) and roadside safety

People at work on the roadside either recovering or repairing motor vehicles, including tyre and windscreen replacement, are at risk from other road users. As many RTIs are not reportable to the HSE, the exact number killed or injured is not known but it is estimated that there could be up to 10 deaths from this cause every year. See advice for HSE inspectors on risks and precautions.

Protection of workers and members of the public from traffic risks on public roads is mostly a matter for road traffic law, which is enforced by the Police and other Agencies. However, existing health and safety legislation requires employers and self-employed persons to protect workers and safeguard others put at risk by their work activities. For example –

safe systems of work should be devised to ensure the safety of workers and the occupants of vehicles being recovered/repaired
vehicles and/or attachments eg winches, cranes etc may be subject to health and safety legislation, particularly those parts not covered by MOT examinations

Essential precautions

Ensure that –

all risks, particularly from other road users, have been properly assessed and safe systems for working at the roadside prepared
vehicles and equipment of an appropriate standard are provided and maintained
appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) eg high visibility/weatherproof clothing; footwear; gloves, is provided and used
employees have been adequately trained by a competent trainer to work safely at the roadside and to advise the occupants of casualty vehicles on the precautions they should be taking.

Training

There are a number of trade associations within the breakdown and recovery industry which may be able to advise on the availability of suitable training courses, including -

Available guidance

The British Standards Institute (BSI) has published a number of priced documents containing guidelines on both the standard of training and equipment specifications. For example -

BS7121-12:1999 Safe use of cranes Part 12: Recovery vehicles and equipment-Code of Practice. Contains guidelines and recommendations for ensuring the health and safety of people at work and members of the public during recovery operations.
BS7901:2002 Specification for recovery vehicles and vehicle recovery equipment. Specifies performance requirements for recovery equipment for moving casualty vehicles during breakdown or recovery activities.
PAS43:2002 Safe working of vehicle breakdown and recovery operators: Management system specification.

The Institute of Vehicle Recovery (IVR) has published a series of videos to help train roadside technicians, including

Life on the edge 6. Roadside Technicians: It’s your call. This deals specifically with the safety of people involved in roadside recovery operations. (Available from the Tel: 01895 436426 Email:mail@theIVR.com.)

HSE contributed to the cross industry Road Workers' Safety Forum (ROWSAF), in the production of 'Guidance for works on the hard shoulder and roadside verges on high speed dual carriageways', found on the Highways Agency's website and covers a range of activities including maintenance works and the repair or recovery of broken down vehicles. The free publication relates primarily to high speed roads but can equally be transferred to lower speed roads where similar principles can be applied.