Staying safe is not complicated, however it’s best to be careful and follow procedures and guidance from bodies such as the Health & Safety Authority (HSA), which is continually providing advice and updating help pages and website with useful information for truck and bus operators.
Two additional resources for employers and workers:
- An information poster on the Lead Worker Representative located here Templates Checklists and Posters
- HSA podcast (hosted on sound cloud) about managing stress returning to work: https://soundcloud.com/user-63081140/returning-to-work-under-covid-19
Make sure vehicles, drivers and workplaces are in safe and in a fit condition at the start of every shift and to be mindful of changes in both road and workplace environments as we all re-emerge from lockdown.
Workplaces:
- More people interacting with staff, so protection measures need to be in place and working effectively
- Remind staff of social distancing and hygiene requirements on a daily basis
- Watch out for changes that may have happened since workplaces were last visited, and ongoing adaptations through the phases of reopening.
More signs to take account of:
- Revised parking and set down areas
- Queues of people and vehicles in locations not seen before
- Increased traffic on entry to and exit from premises
- More pedestrians and cyclists of all ages out and about.
- With increased traffic; vulnerable road users
On the road
- More traffic of all kinds
- More pedestrians and cyclists of all ages
- Remind staff to watch out for vulnerable road users stepping out onto the road to observe social distancing
- More traffic queues at busy retail locations that have recently reopened, so caution staff to expect delays in some areas
- Changes to road layouts in some urban areas to accommodate increased numbers of pedestrians and cyclists
- Temperatures are rising, so remind staff to drink fluids and take scheduled breaks
- Weather is changeable at the moment, with rain expected, so remind staff how to drive safely in rainy conditions.
