CIOB partner CLOCS explains what construction managers can do to protect the community from collisions with HGVs servicing their sites.
Four times more people die in collisions involving HGVs than die as a result of incidents on site.
Every working day, at least two people are killed or seriously injured in collisions involving HGVs and pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. Every year 117 of those people die as a result of their injuries. Many of those vehicles are servicing construction sites.
Construction managers have a keen focus on their accident frequency rate (AFR) and are undoubtedly aware of the 30 fatal injuries to workers in 2018/19, but how many know about collisions causing death or serious injury to vulnerable road users on journeys to and from their construction projects?
Here’s what you can do to prevent these deaths:
1. Implement a corporate strategy – to ensure the safest journeys
2. Plan for road safety
3. Procure for safe projects:
- Construction Logistics Plans
- Safe routing
- Delivery management
- Site conditions
- Vehicle choice and driver training.
The CLOCS Standard
Developed collaboratively by the fleet and construction sectors, the CLOCS (Construction Logistics & Community Safety) Standard aims to ensure the safest vehicle journeys. It provides construction managers with a clear set of duties and provides a consistent framework for all the stakeholders in a construction project, supported by clear guidance for regulators, clients, consultants, principal contractors and the supply chain.
Construction logistics planning, mobilising your supply chain, effective delivery management, efficient and safe site access/egress are all within a construction manager’s control, as are the onsite ground conditions which are a key factor in determining which category of HGV will be sent to site. Procuring suppliers that only operate vehicles with optimum safety features can prevent death and serious injury to pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
Construction Logistics Plan
The Construction Logistics Plan (CLP) is the golden thread that runs through the CLOCS Standard. It’s a tool that can be deployed by all stakeholders to plan, monitor and review site operations to ensure optimum efficiencies as well as to eliminate risk to local communities.
Training for Construction Logistics Planning has been developed and is delivered in partnership with CIOB. CLOCS is currently reshaping Day 1 (CLP Foundation), providing a virtual classroom to enable more people to begin their CLP journeys during the covid-19 lockdown. More information will be available on the CLOCS and CIOB websites before the end of May.
Act now
Consider the devastating consequences of not acting now. Think about the casualties and their families, the emotional impact on drivers and witnesses, the financial implications for those involved and their companies and damage to reputation. Construction managers are in a strong position to lead change – sign up to become a CLOCS Champion today.
