In fast-paced workplace environments where forklifts are zipping around and pedestrians regularly walk through the same areas, the risk of accidents is incredibly high — and the consequences can be devastating.
Enhancing the safety and efficiency of your workplace isn’t a one-person job. For your safety methods to be effective, you need to have all key stakeholders on board and be open to seeking outside support from experts in workplace safety.
Two key steps in this process are to develop a Workplace Traffic Management Plan (TMP) and identify the appropriate Safety Controls to bring your TMP to life. However, many people don’t know where to start — or even what the difference is.
In this article, we’ll cover:
• What is a Traffic Management Plan (TMP)?
• The difference between a Traffic Management Plan and Safety Controls
• Who can prepare a Traffic Management Plan?
• Consequences of not having a Traffic Management Plan
• Finding the right Safety Controls for your site
What Is a Workplace Traffic Management Plan (TMP)?
Simply put, a TMP is a document that outlines the layout of your site and highlights how and where pedestrian and vehicle traffic moves through it. A TMP might cover the direction vehicles move through a site, where containers are located, and which areas are used by pedestrians.
The purpose of a TMP is to identify and communicate how traffic risks must be managed to keep your site operations running smoothly, and your people and assets safe. It will include strategies to minimise disruption, ensure safety for vehicles, pedestrians and workers, and optimise traffic movement.
You can create a TMP yourself, following guidance from either WorkSafe’s Managing Site Traffic Guide (NZ) or SafeWork’s General Guide for Workplace Traffic Management (AU). However, we do recommend seeking advice from a professional, whether that’s a Traffic Management expert or a Health and Safety Consultant.
A qualified person can prepare your TMP in compliance with the relevant legislation, such as the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, to ensure you meet your responsibilities in the workplace.
You can find a TMP expert by searching online or engaging with a team of professionals, such as Parallax (NZ) or Engistics (AU), who offer expert advice on TMPs.
Creating a TMP Involves:
Comprehensive Planning and Risk Assessment
- Identifying all potential hazards (e.g., blind corners, poorly lit areas, high-traffic zones).
- Assessing the risks associated with each hazard using a risk matrix.
Stakeholder Engagement
- Involving key personnel, from senior management to front-line workers, early in the process.
- Creating a communication plan to ensure buy-in and address concerns.
Design and Documentation
- Showing clear routes for pedestrians and vehicles.
- Using diagrams and one-page safety maps to communicate the plan visually.
What Is the Difference Between a Traffic Management Plan and Safety Controls?
A TMP and Safety Controls go hand in hand; you can’t have one without the other. Where people get confused is what the difference between the two is. Understanding the distinction and where we come in is crucial for optimising the safety and efficiency of your site, and allowing us to provide you with the best support possible.
Workplace Traffic Management Plan
A TMP shows where vehicles and pedestrian traffic should go, including how the traffic moves and interacts on site, and identifies evacuation zones, safe and unsafe areas, and high-risk areas.
Safety Controls
Safety Controls are physical solutions that enforce the TMP, such as barriers, speed humps, or bollards, to ensure the TMP is adhered to and is operating effectively.
Can You Help Me Do a TMP?
At Vanguard, we get asked all the time if we create TMPs. The short answer is, no, we don’t. However, we can point you in the direction of experts in this area, as mentioned above. Where we come in is helping you bring your TMP to life. This happens after you’ve got a TMP. Our job is to take your TMP and offer tailored solutions that improve the safety and efficiency of your workplace.
Related: “Vanguard 5-Step Safety Design Process”
“Wait, Do I Really Need a TMP?’ Consequences of Not Having a TMP”
If you have got this far and are thinking, “but I’ve only got a small yard with a few trucks and crew, maybe I don’t need a plan”, here’s why that’s probably a bad idea. The legal, reputational and ethical burden of someone dying or being seriously injured on your worksite would be monumental for your business. A TMP keeps you safe and ensures compliance.
Remember, failing to have a management plan in place when a vehicle-related injury occurs on your worksite could be seen as a direct breach of your duty of care — to ensure the safety of your workers and others on site. It could also be a costly decision if operations are shut down, your insurance is denied, or it is found that not having a plan contributed to the accident.
We often come across businesses that have encountered issues, some more severe than others, which could have been easily prevented if they had a TMP and the appropriate Safety Controls in place from the outset.
Where Things Can Go Wrong:
We recently had a client who experienced a serious incident involving a pedestrian and a truck on their site. The reason it happened? They had no TMP or Safety Controls in place. Had they taken the time to design a TMP and then implement Safety Controls, they could have created a physical separation between the pedestrian and vehicle at that critical pinch point. The decision not to meant they were left exposed, a preventable accident occurred, and it cost them a significant amount in time and money.
Safety Controls: Bringing Your TMP to Life
Whether you’re trying to slow vehicles down on site or protect people and assets from forklifts and other MHE, there is a wide range of safety solutions available. The key to designing Safety Controls that bring your TMP to life is for us to take the time to understand your situation, what you’re trying to achieve, and make suitable recommendations for solutions based on the information we’ve gathered.
We can discuss your situation over the phone, via a video call, or visit you on-site to gain a deeper understanding of what you’re trying to achieve. Often, we conduct walk-throughs of workplaces with our clients to gain a deeper understanding of their situation and make informed suggestions based on actual site operations, ensuring you have the right solutions in place for your specific requirements.
During site scoping, we consider:
- The size of the space
- The types of vehicles moving through it
- The volume of traffic
- Where and when vehicles intersect with pedestrians
Related: “How Physical Barriers Reduced Risk at Busy Australian Warehouse Site”.
A Safe Workplace is a Profitable Workplace: 6 Steps to Follow
Whether you operate a freight depot, food processing site, manufacturing hub, or warehouse, ensuring that people and assets are protected in your workplace should always be a primary focus.
Identifying how to do so can be complex when you haven’t developed a strategy, or what you have in place isn’t working for you. That’s why we’ve put together a six-step Workplace Traffic Safety Guide to help you manage the risks associated with vehicle and pedestrian traffic flow on your site.
Workplace Traffic Safety Guide
Step One: Risk Assessment
Step Two: Create a Traffic Management Plan
Step Three: Get Everyone on Board
Step Four: Install Safety Controls
Step Five: Evaluate and Refine
Step Six: Maintenance
Finding the Right Safety Controls for Your Site
At the end of the day, workplace traffic safety isn’t just about compliance — it’s about protecting people and assets while keeping operations moving smoothly. Many businesses struggle to understand the difference between having a Traffic Management Plan and installing Safety Controls, but now you know how the two work together.
Your next step is to identify where you’re at in your workplace journey, ensure your TMP exists and is ready to go, and then partner with a specialist like us to bring it to life with the right safety solutions. At Vanguard, we’re here to help you choose the best controls to improve both safety and efficiency on your site and bring your TMP to life.
If you have a TMP and are ready to see how Safety Controls can bring it to life, get in touch with our team to discuss how we can help you.
