TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SUBCONTRACTOR INFORMATION PACK Contents Introduction... 3 Thiess Critical Safety Control Standard for Traffic Management... 4 Thiess Traffic Management Procedures... 5 Standard Safety Clause for Inclusion in Subcontractor Agreements... 5 Pre-mobilisation meetings... 5 Requirement for Site Specific Plans... 5 Requirements for Safe Work Method Statements... 6 Industry and site inductions... 6 Supervisor Safety training requirements... 6 Traffic control training requirements... 6 Accreditation requirements... 7 Inspections and record keeping... 7 Incident reporting including regulator activity... 7 Management of plant... 7 PPE... 7 Fitness for duty... 8 Fatigue Management... 8 Site safety communication and consultation... 8 Injury management... 8 Auditing... 8 Performance review meetings... 9 Resources... 10 Page 2
Introduction Traffic management is a critical safety activity at Thiess. Our objective is to eliminate injuries and fatalities caused by the operation and interaction of vehicles, plant and people. We work to realise that objective by applying risk management processes to minimise potential interaction between mobile plant, vehicles and people and to ensure the safety of our operators and maintenance personnel. We apply these processes during planning as well as operations and maintenance phases of our work cycles. As a provider of traffic management services to Thiess, your role in protecting the safety of our operators and maintenance personnel as well as members of the public is paramount. Please take the time to familiarise yourself with the standards that Thiess expects of our traffic management service providers. This publication is produced as part of the terms of an enforceable undertaking resulting from an incident on a major road infrastructure construction project where a traffic controller was seriously injured after being hit by a heavy vehicle. This deeply regrettable incident has prompted the development of this guidance for providers of traffic management services with the aim of ensuring the safety of traffic control personnel on construction sites. Page 3
Thiess Critical Safety Control Standard for Traffic Management Thiess has developed a set of Critical Safety Controls (CSC) that establish the minimum standards that must be met by our project teams and our subcontractors to protect everyone who works for us from the key risks that can cause serious harm. Traffic management is one of those critical risks. Our CSC requires: Risk management processes to be applied to planning for, and implementing, traffic control works Hard controls wherever practical to separate people, vehicles and mobile plant Measures to reduce the frequency and risk of people, plant and vehicle interactions. The CSC sets out requirements that must be met in terms of: Planning including the development of a Project Traffic Management Plan that identifies project-wide risks arising from traffic, vehicle movements and plant operations Plant and Equipment standards that must be met Personnel requirements including any specific training or competences required for work activities and verification of competencies Operational considerations specific to the management of traffic, plant movements and interactions between vehicles, plant and people, and Monitoring regimes for checking that traffic management systems are in place and working effectively. Monitoring and review arrangements including the conduct of inspections and audits to ensure the work is being conducted in accordance with plans and specifications. Page 4
Thiess Traffic Management Procedures Thiess has three (3) separate traffic control procedures setting out requirements for working on: Public roads Site roads Mine site roads These procedures detail the specific requirements for managing traffic in these different work environments. Each environment shares common risks associated with the movement of vehicles and plant but each has unique circumstances that are critical for planning for safe interactions of people, plant and vehicles. On public roads, the volume and speed of traffic presents particular risks. On mine sites, the size of vehicles and the interaction of light and heavy vehicles need particular attention. On construction and industrial sites, the number of vehicle movements through work areas presents significant risks, particularly where there are workers on foot in the same area. Make sure you clarify what environment you will be working in and familiarise with the applicable procedure. Standard Safety Clause for Inclusion in Subcontractor Agreements Thiess has developed a standard contract clause that refers to a set of specific conditions that govern the way we engage traffic control contractors and how we manage our relationship with you. You should read these requirements carefully and clarify any questions you may have about them before your team mobilises to the project site. Pre-mobilisation meetings When you are selected as a traffic control subcontractor for Thiess you will be asked to attend a per-mobilisation meeting with the project team to review the details of your scope of work and the safety requirements for the job. This is an opportunity for both you and Thiess representatives to clarify the job requirements and to make sure that the operations are fully planned and ready to mobilise when required. Requirement for Site Specific Plans Each of the sites that make up our projects is required to have a site specific safety plan. These plans set out the arrangements for managing safety at the site including: Risk management arrangements for the site including the identification of hazards at the site and the risk controls that must be followed. The details of persons responsible for health and safety at the site Page 5
Site specific induction and training requirements Arrangements for managing incidents and emergencies Any site specific rules which may include vehicle movement plans and parking arrangements You will need to work under the Thiess site plan and ensure that your personnel are familiar with and can meet its requirements. Requirements for Safe Work Method Statements Working near live traffic and/or mobile plant are both defined as high risk construction work under safety legislation and as such a safe work method statement is mandatory for all activities involving these risks. You will be required to develop a SWMS and submit it to the nominated Thiess representative for review prior to commencing the work. The SWMS must be developed in consultation with your workers and it must be reviewed whenever the circumstances or environment in which the activity is undertaken changes. Industry and site inductions All personnel working on Thiess sites must comply with any statutory requirements for industry specific inductions. A site specific induction must also be developed and delivered to all personnel working at the site. The induction should cover the details of the site specific safety plan and should be regularly updated to cover the high risk activities being undertaken. Visitors must also be inducted. Supervisor Safety training requirements The training needs for each role must be identified and documented in a site training needs analysis. Thiess requires that our subcontractors supervisors have completed some formal work health and safety training. Traffic control training requirements All personnel performing traffic control duties must satisfy the local/state Road Authority requirements for: Designing traffic control plans Implementing traffic control plans Controlling traffic with a stop/slow bat. Page 6
Personnel undertaking these tasks will be required to provide evidence that they have completed the required training. Accreditation requirements Your company must hold any accreditation or registration required by the local or State Road Authority for the provision of traffic control services. Inspections and record keeping Your traffic control personnel will be responsible for carrying out inspections relating to site traffic management plans and maintaining records of those inspections. Inspections are required at the commencement of works each day to ensure the signage and traffic control devices are in place in accordance with the traffic control plan. Periodic inspections are required over the course of each shift and at the end of each shift. Incident reporting including regulator activity Your personnel must report any health or safety incident to your supervisor immediately. Your supervisor must inform the project manager or their representative of the incident details as soon as practicable if not immediately. An incident includes any event that results in, or has the potential for, injury to persons or damage to property or plant. The site specific safety plan will contain details of how to manage incidents including investigation and reporting. Where behavioural factors are identified as a contributor to the incident causes, a just culture process consistent with Thiess' model must be used. Management of plant All plant items provided by your company for the control of traffic must meet any specifications established by the local or State road authority. Where required, you must supply copies of plant risk assessment and service and inspection records. Daily pre-start inspections or log books may be required for some plant items, particularly any mobile plant operated by your personnel. Operator instructions or the manufacturers manual must be available and you will by required to provide evidence of operator training. Verification of operator competency may be required for certain plant items. PPE You are responsible for providing your personnel with all personal protective equipment (PPE) set out in the site specific safety plan. PPE provided for traffic controllers working on public roads must comply with the requirements of the local or State Road Authority. Page 7
Particular attention must be paid to the provision of PPE suitable for working at night. Fitness for duty It is critical that all our of your personnel report for work fit for duty. Traffic control requires constant attention and a high level of alertness is required. Your personnel must not be affected by drugs or alcohol or fatigue while at work. Fatigue Management Alert traffic controllers are essential to the safety of our workforce and the users of roads where we carry out work. As the traffic control services provider you will need to ensure that your personnel are not affected by fatigue. You must ensure that rosters provide your personnel with adequate breaks between shifts and you must provide sufficient resources to enable them to take rest breaks during work shifts. You will be required to keep records of hours works and rest breaks taken. You must ensure that your personnel have ready access to amenities for rest breaks, food storage and preparation, and toilets. These may be provided by Thiess. Your contract will stipulate situations where you will be required to make your own arrangements for these amenities. Site safety communication and consultation It is important that your team participate in safety initiatives at the project site. This includes participation in pre-start meetings and toolbox meetings. These forums provide an opportunity to gain an understanding of what's happening on the project and hear about any new or changed safety requirements. It also provides an opportunity for your team to raise issues, particularly any safety concerns that might need to be dealt with by the project team. Injury management You are required to hold a current workers compensation insurance policy covering all of your employees. A certificate of currency from your insurer will be required as evidence. In the event that one of your employees is injured in the course of their work, you will be required to put in place an Injury Management Plan to help your injured work to make a safe return to work. Part of the plan may involve reduced hours, or restrictions on the certain activities, while they are recovering from their injuries. Check with your insurer, or your local Workers Compensation Authority to ensure you understand all of your obligations. Auditing Traffic control subcontractors will be subject to the Thiess auditing process. A traffic control audit tool is available and subcontractors are encouraged to apply the audit tool to their operations. Page 8
Audit outcomes will be communicated to traffic control subcontractor and any corrective actions must be addressed within specified timeframes. Audit results and the management of corrective actions will be taken into account in performance reviews. Performance review meetings Performance feedback is crucial for continual improvement. As a Thiess subcontractor you will be invited to participate in periodic reviews of your performance for the delivery of the services you are engaged to provide. Your safety performance will be an important component of this review. Performance review meetings also provide an opportunity for you to provide feedback Page 9
Resources PROCEDURES Critical Safety Control 3 Traffic Management Traffic Management Public Roads (Appendix 1) Traffic Management Site Roads (Appendix 2) Traffic Management Mine Site Roads (Appendix 3) VIDEOS Thiess has developed a series of short animated videos that are useful in raising awareness about some of the risks associated with traffic control including managing traffic on construction sites and managing traffic control at night. A third video targets supervisors and managers about their responsibilities for managing the well-being of traffic controllers. The videos can be downloaded here: Safety and wellbeing of traffic controllers Managing construction traffic Traffic control for night works POSTERS A series of posters is also available to support the themes covered by the videos. The posters can be downloaded here. Safety and wellbeing of traffic controllers Managing construction traffic Traffic control for night works AUDIT TOOL The Thiess CSC Traffic Management Audit Tool (Appendix 4) will help you to understand and align with Thiess requirements for traffic control. Page 10
TOOL BOX TALKS Traffic Control Public Roads (Appendix 5) Traffic Control Site Roads (Appendix 6) CHECKLISTS Long term, twice daily traffic control checklist (Appendix 7) Short term traffic control checklist (Appendix 8) Traffic Management Issues Register (Appendix 9) Page 11