MPA launches additional safety resources

New workplace transport/pedestrian interface resources to support members in drive to eliminate ‘The Fatal 6’

WORKPLACE transport and the pedestrian interface has been identified by MPA’s Health & Safety Committee as one of ‘The Fatal 6’ high-consequence hazards that have been the main cause of fatalities and serious injuries and incidents over the last decade.

Now, new resources developed by members of the MPA’s Vehicles and Pedestrians Health and Safety Working Group provide a tool for sites to help them understand and control the typical risks that they manage in environments where vehicles and pedestrians interact.

Building on the easily deployable clear, simple, smart resources on isolation, COVID-19 and mental health and well-being that have already been launched by MPA this year, the latest resources use ‘guiding principles’, cartoons, consistent messaging, posters and (with support from MPQC) training tools that managers can deploy to help improve on site behaviours and safety practices as part of MPA’s mission to eliminate ‘The Fatal 6’ incidents from operations.

The new resources are:

• Workplace Transport & Pedestrian Interface Handbook: A 147-page, A5 handbook, designed to assist supervisors and managers on site and support other industry technical guidance. Following the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) cycle, the narrative and practical examples have been taken from materials that were received from MPA members, both large and small, after a request to share best practice on this subject.
• Employees’ Best Practice Vehicle and Pedestrian Segregation: A 23-page, A6 pocketbook, designed for operatives and site personnel, this document describes the variety of traffic, vehicle and pedestrian management plans which, when followed appropriately, ensure that sites can work safely. It has been prepared to raise awareness of the subject and to help guide the industry towards a safer working environment.
• Four separate posters designed for use on site notice boards and in canteens and rest areas.
• Stickers for use in relevant areas around sites, including in cabs of vehicles.

All these resources are available at: www.safequarry.com/Fatal-6/Fatal-6-Step-2.aspx

In addition, MPQC has produced the ‘Workplace Transport and Pedestrian Interface’ e-learning course (sponsored by the Institute of Quarrying) to remind managers and employees of their responsibilities and duties, and to ensure that operations proceed with safe people, safe plant, and a safe work environment.

The e-learning will focus on key subjects of the guidance and embed learning through interaction and knowledge checks. At the end of the modules there will be an assessment of understanding and a certificate will be issued by MPQC upon successful completion. To register, add your National Insurance Number at: www.mpconnect.co.uk

Chris Leese, the MPA’s health and safety special advisor, said: ‘Even those companies who may think that they already have this issue covered might want to consider re-auditing or repeating the campaign focus.

‘Our collective experience shows that either people begin to forget the seriousness of the types of incidents that can occur or that changes are not fully embedded; and there are always some new things we can all learn and implement in our workplaces.

‘By embracing the MPA principles of safer by sharing in this way, we are all helping to reduce the risk of another serious incident occurring. We are determined as an industry, by focusing on the causes of the most serious incidents and by working together, to eliminate ‘The Fatal 6’ from our workplaces.’