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18.1 Things to know when reading Part C – Managing safety risks for road and roadside workers

Sections 18 to 23 cover common safety risks to road and roadside workers and provide examples of ways to eliminate or minimise these risks in the road/roadside work context.

Not all examples will be appropriate to all situations. The relevance of examples provided will depend on:

  • the scale, scope, and nature of the work being done, and
  • how any given control measure may interact with other work processes or practices (any new risks created by a control measure must also be managed and not be allowed to transfer elsewhere). 

It is up to you, the person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU), to assess your individual circumstances and determine which control measures are appropriate and reasonably practicable for your situation. For more information, see Section 2.0: Risk management

Examples of risks and control measures provided here will not cover all possibilities

There may be other safety-related risks not mentioned that you will need to identify and manage. You can apply control measures that are not suggested in these guidelines, provided you are satisfied that they provide equal or better protection.

18.2 Eliminate safety risks at the planning and design stage

Where reasonably practicable, potential risks to worker safety should be eliminated at the planning and design stage of the work. For example:

  • planning for various works or maintenance to be done during regular scheduled road closures (especially for significant roads)
  • choosing the safest work practices and methodologies (even if these may take longer)
  • locating underground services before designing the work so designers can, where possible, avoid planning excavation near underground services
  • designing work site layouts so that:
    • there is enough room for mobile plant to move around safely
    • site entry and exits points have good visibility for workers, motorised road users, and vulnerable road users.
  • designing infrastructure items that require minimal maintenance or can be safely accessed when maintenance is needed after installation. Examples include:
    • planting slow-growing or low maintenance roadside vegetation that will require less frequent pruning
    • ensuring safe future access for signage and roadside cabinets. Avoid placing them where they may require height access equipment to reach.
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