Vehicle & Traffic Safety

Overview

Vehicles and mobile plant are a leading cause of serious site injuries; keeping people and machines apart is the key control.

A traffic management plan sets routes, speed limits and exclusion zones, backed by trained operators, daily checks and banksmen.

Where the risk arises

Reversing and blind spots — most struck-by incidents.
People walking through vehicle routes with no separation.
Slew radius of excavators and tail-swing of mobile plant.
Road transport — fatigue, speeding, phone use, unsecured loads.
Untrained or unlicensed operators using plant.

Step-by-step procedure

Prepare a traffic management plan with routes, speed limits and crossings.
Separate pedestrians from vehicles with barriers, walkways and crossings.
Confirm operators are trained, licensed and authorized.
Do daily pre-use checks of brakes, lights, alarms and tyres.
Set exclusion zones around plant covering the full slew radius.
Use a banksman for all reversing and tight manoeuvring.
Plan road journeys — manage fatigue, defensive driving, no phone, secure loads.
Monitor compliance and update the plan as the layout changes.

Key controls

Reversing alarms, beacons and seatbelts on all plant.
Enforced site speed limits with signage.
Clear signage, lighting and hi-vis clothing for all on foot.

Roles & responsibilities

Role	Responsibility
Operator / Driver	Holds the correct licence, does checks, operates to the plan.
Banksman / Traffic Marshal	Directs manoeuvres, controls crossings, keeps people clear.
Site Supervisor	Owns and enforces the traffic plan; reviews incidents.

Common mistakes to avoid

Reversing with no banksman or relying on mirrors alone.
Letting people walk through plant exclusion zones.
Driving fatigued, speeding or using a phone on the road.

Legal requirements (Thailand)

Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Act B.E. 2554 (2011) — the governing workplace-safety law in Thailand.
Ministerial Regulation on OSH management for construction work B.E. 2564 (2021).
Land Traffic Act B.E. 2522 (1979) for on-road transport.

Frequently asked questions

What is Vehicle & Traffic Safety?

Vehicles and mobile plant — trucks, forklifts, excavators, cranes and light vehicles — are among the biggest causes of serious injury on engineering and construction sites. Most incidents involve a person being struck during reversing, manoeuvring or operating near pedestrians. The single most effective control is to keep people and moving machines apart.

Who is responsible?

Operator / Driver: Holds the correct licence, completes pre-use checks and operates within the plan.; Banksman / Traffic Marshal: Directs reversing and manoeuvres, controls crossings and keeps pedestrians clear.; Site Supervisor: Owns the traffic management plan, enforces it and reviews incidents.

What are the most common mistakes to avoid?

Reversing with no banksman or relying on mirrors alone in a blind area. Letting people walk through plant exclusion zones or excavator slew areas. Driving while fatigued, speeding or using a phone on long road journeys.

References — Site traffic management practice; Thai OSH Act B.E. 2554 and the Land Traffic Act.