Cyclists at risk from construction vehicles
Posted: February 12, 2013
Posted in: Bicycle Accidents Road Traffic Accidents Workplace Injuries
Transport for London (TfL) has recently published findings of the first independent review into construction logistics and cyclist safety.
The report was commissioned after figures revealed a worrying number of road traffic collisions involving construction vehicles. Of the 16 cyclist fatalities in London in 2011, nine involved heavy goods vehicles and seven of these were construction vehicles.
The independent review outlined 12 recommendations, including:
- The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) should look at extending regulations that govern the reporting of on road collisions, with the report saying “…HSE should extend RIDDOR to include on-road collisions as a matter of urgency”
- Vehicle manufacturers should carry out more research into the blind spots of construction vehicles
- Contractors and their clients should look into setting more realistic time slots for deliveries
The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health has long-called for improved management of occupational road risk and for serious work-related road traffic accidents (RTAs) to be RIDDOR reportable.
The Institution’s head of policy and public affairs, Richard Jones, said:
“Requiring serious work-related RTAs to be reportable under RIDDOR will mean they are higher on the corporate agenda for prevention and better data collection can help HSE focus its resource and take action on serious failures.
“All this can help save hundreds of lives a year and also prevent significant financial losses to businesses and the economy.”
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