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Free risk assessment template · Traffic management

Traffic management risk assessment template

A traffic management risk assessment, already filled in for vehicles and people on site and for signing, lighting and guarding road works, with a traffic management plan check. Edit it for your job, then brief it.

Download the editable PDF Download the Word version

Editable PDF · 9 pages · 795 KB · Word 47 KB · Free to use and reuse · Terms

Law
CDM 2015, regulations 27 and 28
Road works
Safety at Street Works code
Format
Editable PDF and Word
Cost
Free, always

What is a traffic management risk assessment?

A traffic management risk assessment looks at how vehicles, plant and people move on and around a site, and how they are kept apart. Regulation 27 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 requires a site organised so that, so far as is reasonably practicable, pedestrians and vehicles can move without risk.

On site, HSE guidance HSG144 sets the approach: separate people from vehicles, cut the number of movements, design out reversing with one-way systems and turning areas, and use trained signallers where reversing remains. HSE says most construction transport accidents come from poor separation of pedestrians and vehicles.

Work on the public highway follows different rules. Signing, lighting and guarding follow the Safety at Street Works and Road Works code of practice, with Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual for motorways and dual carriageways of 50 mph or more. This template covers both, with a traffic management plan check.

Checked against legislation.gov.uk and HSE guidance on .

Traffic management hazards and controls

15 hazards, rated before and after controls

A worked example of the significant hazards from vehicles and plant on site and from working beside traffic on the highway, with the controls a reviewer expects to see. Delete what does not apply and add what your job has.

People on foot struck by site vehicles

Operatives, visitors and delivery drivers on foot, where walkways and vehicle routes meet.

  • Separate pedestrian gate and fenced walkways from the gate, parking and welfare to the work, kept apart from vehicle routes.
  • Marked crossing points with a clear view of traffic, and barriers that guide people to them.
  • High-visibility clothing worn; pedestrians kept out of plant working areas and loading areas.

BeforeHigh 20AfterMedium 10

Reversing vehicles

Anyone behind a reversing lorry, dumper or excavator, including the person directing it.

  • One-way system, turning areas and drive-through unloading, so the need to reverse is designed out.
  • Where reversing remains: a trained signaller in a safe position and in sight of the driver; the driver stops if sight is lost.
  • Cameras, mirrors, proximity sensors and reversing alarms in working order on site vehicles.

BeforeHigh 20AfterMedium 10

Site entrance and the public footway

Members of the public on the footway and road as vehicles enter and leave the site.

  • Gate placed for good sight lines; vehicles cross the footway under the control of a signaller, with barriers.
  • Lorry holding area and booked delivery times, kept away from school and shopping peaks where the site is near them.
  • Wheel washing and road sweeping keep mud off the public highway.

BeforeHigh 15AfterMedium 5

Deliveries and unloading

Drivers and operatives at the unloading point, from moving plant and falling loads.

  • Deliveries booked to a slot, with site instructions and the route sent to the supplier when the order is placed.
  • Unloaded on level ground away from traffic, pedestrians and overhead hazards; loads checked before restraints are released.
  • Loading bays with a separate exit for pedestrians; drivers wait in a safe, agreed place.

BeforeMedium 12AfterMedium 8

Plant falling into excavations

Drivers of dumpers and excavators near trench edges, spoil heaps, slopes and water.

  • Stop blocks or barriers at excavation edges and tipping points, fixed so they cannot move.
  • Routes kept clear of edges and steep gradients; rollover protection and seat belts used where fitted.

BeforeHigh 15AfterMedium 5

Poor routes: surfaces, gradients and bends

Drivers and people nearby, from soft, rutted or steep routes and blind corners.

  • Routes firm, drained, wide enough for the largest vehicle, and maintained as the site changes.
  • Speed limits set for the site and signed; mirrors at blind corners; as few junctions as possible.
  • Routes checked regularly and kept clear of stored materials, as regulation 27 requires.

BeforeMedium 12AfterMedium 8

Overhead lines and structures

Drivers of tippers, excavators and lorry loaders passing under power lines, gantries or scaffold.

  • Barriers set 6 m horizontally from the nearest wire on either side of overhead lines; passageways with non-conducting goalposts and the clearance height signed.
  • Tipper bodies, booms and jibs lowered before moving; low headroom marked on the traffic plan.

BeforeMedium 10AfterMedium 5

Untrained or unauthorised drivers

Everyone near plant driven by someone not competent or not authorised to drive it.

  • Only trained, competent and authorised people drive plant; training cards checked for validity, with experience and familiarisation on the machine.
  • Keys controlled and removed when vehicles are parked and left.
  • Nobody drives when impaired by drink, drugs or ill health.

BeforeHigh 15AfterMedium 5

Riding on plant and vehicles

People riding on dumpers, buckets, forks, tailgates or loads.

  • Nobody rides on a vehicle except in a safe place provided for that purpose: CDM 2015, regulation 28(4).
  • Passenger seats used only where the vehicle is built for a passenger.

BeforeMedium 10AfterMedium 5

Darkness and poor visibility

Pedestrians and drivers on dark mornings and evenings, and in fog or heavy rain.

  • Site approaches, routes, crossings and loading areas lit, as regulation 35 requires.
  • High-visibility clothing for everyone on foot; vehicle lights and beacons working.
  • Deliveries timed for daylight where an area cannot be lit well enough.

BeforeMedium 12AfterMedium 8

Working beside live traffic on the road

Operatives working in the carriageway or footway, struck by passing vehicles.

  • Layout set by a competent person to the code: advance signs, lead-in taper, cones, information board and a safety zone.
  • Nobody enters the safety zone in the normal course of work, and no materials are stored in it.
  • Warning lights at night and in poor visibility on roads of 40 mph or more; traffic control chosen by the code.

BeforeHigh 20AfterMedium 10

Setting out and removing signs

Operatives placing and collecting signs, cones and lights, when they are most exposed.

  • High-visibility clothing on before leaving the vehicle; vehicle parked safely, off the road where possible.
  • Signs set out in the order the code sets, starting with advance signs, and removed in reverse order.
  • Only trained and competent people set out, maintain or remove signing and temporary traffic control.

BeforeHigh 15AfterMedium 10

Pedestrians diverted at road works

The public, including disabled and older people, wheelchair users and people with pushchairs.

  • At least 1.5 m of footway kept where possible, and never less than 1.0 m.
  • Where the footway is lost, a walkway in the carriageway, generally 1.2 m wide, with barriers and ramps at the kerb.
  • Continuous pedestrian barriers with a tapping rail around the working space.

BeforeMedium 12AfterLow 4

Public and children entering the site

Members of the public, children in particular, getting in out of hours and using plant.

  • Site fenced and gates locked out of hours, with steps taken to prevent unauthorised access.
  • Plant immobilised and keys held under a key custody procedure.
  • On part-occupied sites, site traffic kept out of occupied areas and the public routes separated.

BeforeMedium 10AfterMedium 5

Vehicle defects

Drivers and people nearby, from brake, steering, mirror or warning device failures.

  • Daily checks by the driver, with defects reported at once and the vehicle taken out of use until repaired.
  • Inspection and servicing to the manufacturer's instructions, with a maintenance log for each machine.

BeforeMedium 12AfterLow 4

Scores are likelihood times severity on the five by five matrix in the template. They are typical ratings for this work, a starting point for your own assessment of your site.

Traffic management method statement: the sequence of work

The order of work, with the controls at each stage

How the traffic plan is set up, run and kept up to date, on site and on the highway, with the controls at each stage. If the layout changes, update the plan, revise the assessment and brief it again.

Plan the site layout

Draw the traffic management plan: gates, vehicle routes, one-way system, turning areas, walkways, crossing points, parking, storage and loading areas, and plant working areas.

ControlsReversing designed out where possible; people and vehicles separated on the drawing.

Agree highway approvals

Where the work or the site access affects the highway, obtain the permits, licences, temporary traffic regulation orders or notices, and portable signal approval needed from the highway authority.

ControlsRoad works layout designed by a competent person to the code, or to Chapter 8 where the code does not apply.

Set up the site

Fence walkways, put up route and speed signs, mark crossing points, light routes and loading areas, and fit goalposts under any overhead lines.

ControlsSigns follow standard road signs; stop blocks at excavation edges; routes firm and drained.

Induct and brief

Tell every driver and worker the routes and site rules at induction. Display the site map at the gate and in welfare areas, and send delivery instructions to suppliers with each order.

ControlsBriefing signed; drivers' training cards checked; signallers named.

Control deliveries

Book each delivery to a slot. Hold lorries in the waiting area until called, meet them at the gate, and walk or signal them to the unloading point.

ControlsFootway crossing controlled by a signaller; pedestrians kept out of the unloading area.

Run the site each day

Drivers carry out daily vehicle checks. Plant keeps to the routes and the speed limit, and reversing is done only where planned, with a signaller where visibility is limited.

ControlsOnly authorised drivers; nobody rides on plant except in a safe place provided for it.

Set out road works

Park the works vehicle safely, put on high-visibility clothing, then set out signs, cones, lights and barriers in the order the code sets, starting with the advance signs.

ControlsSafety zone kept clear; footway width kept; layout checked against the plan.

Check and change

Walk the routes and road works layout each day and after bad weather. Update the plan as the site changes, and brief every change to drivers and workers before it takes effect.

ControlsRoutes checked and maintained under regulation 27(4); plan drawing dated.

Close down

Remove road works signing in the reverse order it was set out. At the end of each day, park and immobilise plant, remove keys and lock the site.

ControlsHighway left safe and clear; site secure against unauthorised access.

What the law asks for traffic management

Checked against the source

People and vehicles move safely

A construction site must be organised so that, so far as is reasonably practicable, pedestrians and vehicles can move without risks to health or safety. Traffic routes must be suitable, sufficient in number, in suitable positions and of sufficient size.

CDM 2015, regulation 27(1) and (2)

Separation, signs and upkeep

Routes keep vehicles and pedestrians apart or, where that is not reasonably practicable, protect people by other means and warn them of vehicles. Every loading bay has at least one exit for pedestrians only. Routes are signed where needed, regularly checked, maintained and kept clear.

CDM 2015, regulation 27(3) to (5)

Vehicles

Unintended movement of vehicles is prevented or controlled. The driver, or the person directing a driver who lacks full visibility, warns anyone at risk. Nobody rides except in a safe place provided, and vehicles are kept from falling into excavations or water.

CDM 2015, regulation 28

Lighting

Each construction site, and the approach and traffic routes to it, has suitable and sufficient lighting, by natural light so far as is reasonably practicable.

CDM 2015, regulation 35

Street works

In England and Wales an undertaker executing street works keeps them adequately guarded and lit, with the traffic signs needed. Following the Safety at Street Works and Road Works code counts as compliance; failing to follow it is evidence of a breach, and a breach is an offence.

New Roads and Street Works Act 1991, section 65(1), (3) and (4)

Other works in a street

In England and Wales anyone executing other works in a street erects the barriers and traffic signs needed to prevent danger to traffic, removes them once no longer needed, and keeps the works properly guarded and lit in darkness. The code is also issued under this section.

Highways Act 1980, section 174

Competence, equipment and PPE

Competence and cards

  • Traffic plan author Competent to plan site traffic routes to HSG144 and, for highway work, to design the layout to the code or Chapter 8.
  • Drivers and plant operators Trained, competent and authorised for the machine, with a card from a recognised scheme such as CPCS or NPORS, experience and familiarisation.
  • Signallers and banksmen Trained in the signals and safe positions, authorised by site management and easy to pick out on site.
  • Street works supervisor and operative Street works that break up the street are supervised by a person holding the prescribed supervisor qualification, with at least one qualified operative on site at all times: NRSWA section 67.
  • Road works operatives Trained and competent to set out, maintain and remove signing, lighting, guarding and temporary traffic control.
  • Portable signals Anyone placing portable traffic signals has a full understanding of their requirements and correct operation.

Plant and equipment

  • Dumpers and excavators Daily checks by the driver; rollover protection, seat belt, mirrors and alarm working.
  • Delivery vehicles Visibility aids and reversing alarm working; driver briefed on the route.
  • Pedestrian barriers and fencing Continuous and joined; checked regularly and after any change.
  • Cones, signs and warning lights Clean and undamaged; set to the code layout; lights checked before dusk.
  • Stop/Go boards or portable signals Approval in place where needed; method chosen from the code.
  • Goalposts and height barriers Non-conducting under power lines; clearance height signed; maintained.

PPE

  • High-visibility clothing for everyone on foot on site, and on before leaving the vehicle at road works.
  • Safety helmet to the site standard.
  • Safety boots with toe protection and a grip sole.
  • Gloves for handling barriers, signs and cones.

Permits and plans

Highway authority permits, licences and any temporary traffic regulation order or notice, with approval for portable traffic signals, in place before work on the highway starts. A permit to work where the principal contractor's rules require one, for example for work under overhead lines. A lift plan for any crane or lorry loader delivery.

Emergency and rescue

Emergency vehicle access kept clear and marked on the traffic plan, with someone sent to meet the ambulance at the gate. After any collision or near miss, vehicle movements in that area stop until the supervisor has checked it. First aider on site. Accidents reported to HSE where RIDDOR requires.

Toolbox talk · About five minutes

Toolbox talk: traffic management

Read this to the team before work starts, tick each point as it is covered, and record who attended.

  • Walk only on the marked walkways and cross at the crossing points. If a route is blocked, tell the supervisor; do not cut across.
  • Never walk behind a reversing vehicle. If you cannot see the driver in the mirror, the driver cannot see you.
  • Only trained and authorised people drive plant here. Take the keys out when you park and leave the vehicle.
  • Signallers stand where the driver can see them and out of the vehicle's path. If the driver loses sight of you, they stop.
  • Nobody rides on plant except in a proper seat. Not on the bucket, the forks or the tailgate.
  • On the road, high-visibility clothing goes on before you leave the van, and nobody steps into the safety zone while working.

Ask the team

  • Where are the walkways and crossing points on this site today?
  • Which vehicles reverse here, and who signals them?
  • What changes to the routes are planned this week?
In Unibuild a talk is read in each operative’s own language and signed on the phone. How toolbox talks work

What is in the traffic management risk assessment template

9 pages, pre-filled and editable

The work, pre-filled

Scope, location and access, interfaces with other trades, the documents the assessment relies on, and the drivers and signallers.

The sequence of work

Nine stages from the site layout to closing down, with the controls and the person responsible at each one.

Hazards and controls

Fifteen traffic management hazards rated before and after controls on a five by five matrix, with room for your own.

Plant, PPE and permits

Site vehicles and road works equipment with their checks, PPE by type, and highway permits and approvals.

Traffic management plan check

A page that checks the plan against gates, routes, walkways, crossings, reversing, deliveries, lighting and the highway.

Briefing record

Twenty signatures against the revision, taken on the day before the work starts.

Download the editable PDF Word versionEditable PDF · 9 pages · 795 KB
After it is written

Brief it, and get it signed on the phone

On Unibuild a RAMS is written from a template, approved, then read by each operative on their phone in their own language and signed. Subcontract and agency workers sign through a link, with no app to install.

Every signature carries its date and time and prints as the last page of the RAMS PDF. Change the RAMS and it has to be signed again.

How RAMS work on Unibuild
Is this traffic management risk assessment template free?
Yes. The PDF and the Word version are free to download, edit and use on your own jobs, with no sign-up. It covers site traffic and road works on the highway.
What should a traffic management plan include?
A drawing and rules showing the gates, vehicle routes, one-way systems and turning areas, walkways and crossing points, parking, storage and loading areas, speed limits, where reversing is allowed and who signals it, and lighting. Update it as the site changes and brief every change. The template's plan check page lists each item.
Is a traffic management risk assessment the same as a traffic management plan?
No. The risk assessment identifies the hazards from vehicles and plant and rates the controls. The plan is the site layout and rules that put those controls in place. A principal contractor will usually expect both, which is why the template carries a plan check page.
Who is responsible for traffic management on a construction site?
The principal contractor plans, manages and monitors the construction phase under CDM 2015, and HSE guidance HSG144 says the principal contractor should ensure the safe management of pedestrian and vehicle movements on site. Contractors, drivers and signallers follow the plan and the site rules, and every employer keeps its own duties to its workers.
Do you need a banksman for reversing?
Only where reversing cannot be designed out. HSE guidance puts one-way systems, turning areas and fewer movements first. CDM 2015 regulation 28 requires anyone at risk from a moving vehicle to be warned, by the driver or, where a driver without full visibility is being directed, by the person directing. A trained signaller in a safe position, in sight of the driver, is the usual control. Alarms alone suit only low-risk situations.
Which rules apply to traffic management on the road?
The Safety at Street Works and Road Works code of practice covers signing, lighting and guarding on all roads except motorways and dual carriageways with a speed limit of 50 mph or more. It applies across the UK, issued under separate law in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. For the excluded roads, and situations the code does not cover, use Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual.
How wide must a footway be at road works?
The code asks for at least 1.5 m of usable footway where possible, and never less than 1.0 m. Where the footway has to close, a walkway in the carriageway is provided, generally 1.2 m wide, with ramps for wheelchairs at the kerb and pedestrian barriers with a tapping rail.
Do you need a qualification to set out road works?
For street works that break up or open the street, the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 requires supervision by a qualified supervisor and at least one qualified operative on site at all times. For other works, the code says only trained and competent people may set out, maintain and remove signing and temporary traffic control. Check what the highway authority and the principal contractor require.

RAMS templates for other trades and hazards

All free, pre-filled and editable
TradeGroundworks RAMSExcavations, buried services, plant, trench support and inspections at the start of each shift. HazardForklift and telehandler risk assessmentTrained operators, daily checks, routes, overturning, people on foot and lifting with a telehandler. TradeConcrete works RAMSFormwork, reinforcement, pump and skip pours, wet cement, power floating and curing, with the sequence for each pour.

By trade

By hazard

The blank RAMS template, the RAMS review checklist and every other free form are on Free downloads.

Next step

The RAMS, read and signed
before the work starts.

Unibuild keeps every RAMS with its versions, its approvals and each operative’s signature against the revision they read, for seven years, ready for the principal contractor or an auditor.

Book a demo → See RAMS on Unibuild