Hazards when working on a roadside include high-speed traffic, poor visibility, weather and ground conditions. Workers could be struck by a passing vehicle or crushed by the vehicle moving off the jacks.
Other risks related to isolation and communication arise if workers are required to work off-site or provide roadside assistance.
Safety solutions
Ensure workers are comprehensively trained (and regularly retrained) in traffic control procedures and dynamic risk assessments when undertaking roadside maintenance. When working on a roadside workers should consider:
- the safety of the work area, such as lighting, visibility, hazards, ground stability
- erecting signage and lighting from/on/around/adjacent to the disabled vehicle and the assistance vehicle to warn approaching drivers, such as high-visibility triangles/cones, flashing lights
- wearing high-visibility, retro-reflective clothing to capture vehicle headlights at dusk/night
- the vehicle payload stability
- whether lifting or manual handling aids are required to assist with the task, such as wheel dolly, brake drum lifter
- keeping up two-way communication with the workshop supervisor or another person
- the need for additional traffic control, such as police
- towing the vehicle to a safe work area before repairs are attempted.