The HSA’s Top 10 Workplace Transport Safety Tips: A Practical Explanation for Irish Businesses

In any busy Irish workplace, from a sprawling distribution centre in West Dublin to a precision manufacturing plant in Cork, the hum of activity is the sound of business. But within that hum lies a constant and significant risk: the movement of workplace traffic. Every year, incidents involving vehicles in the workplace lead to serious injuries, costly damage, and tragic fatalities.

To combat this, the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), Ireland’s government body for occupational safety, has created a simple yet powerful tool: the “Watch Out – Traffic About!” poster. This document, with its ten clear and direct tips, is the official blueprint for workplace transport safety. It is not just a set of recommendations; it is a distillation of decades of incident analysis and expert knowledge into a clear mandate for all Irish businesses. As the poster itself states, “These simple steps save lives.”

However, knowing the rules is only the first step. For a busy manager or business owner, the real challenge lies in understanding how to translate these ten points from a piece of paper on the canteen wall into a living, breathing safety system on the factory floor.

That is the sole purpose of this article. We will provide a plain-English, practical explanation of each of the HSA’s 10 tips. We will explore *why* each rule is so critical and show you *how* to implement it effectively in your own facility.

At SVL Store Vision Ltd., we see ourselves as the essential bridge between government advice and on-the-ground reality. For over 17 years, our mission has been to help Irish businesses implement robust, physical safety systems that protect people, assets, and profitability. We are not just suppliers of safety products; we are expert implementation partners.

We understand that the HSA provides the “what.” Our role is to provide the “how.” Throughout this guide, we will use our extensive experience to explain each of the HSA’s ten points, connecting the official rule to the tangible, real-world solutions that make your workplace safer and more efficient. We are standing on the shoulders of giants—leveraging the authority of the HSA to provide you with the clearest possible path to a safer facility.

Here, we will break down each of the HSA’s ten tips. For each one, we will explain the risk it addresses, the commercial consequences of ignoring it, what good implementation looks like, and the physical solutions that bring it to life.

The ‘Why’ Explained:

Your workplace is a controlled environment with specific risks that your employees are trained to handle. An uncontrolled entry point means that anyone—a lost delivery driver, a sales representative, or a member of the public—can wander into an active operational area. These individuals are unfamiliar with your traffic flow, your hazards, and your emergency procedures. They represent an unknown variable and, therefore, an unacceptable risk and a major liability. Safety begins at your property line.

The Commercial Consequence:

An incident involving a non-employee on your site can have devastating commercial consequences. Beyond the immediate human cost, it can lead to severe legal penalties from the HSA, a dramatic increase in your insurance premiums, and irreparable damage to your company’s reputation. Furthermore, uncontrolled access can lead to theft or damage to stock and equipment.

What It Looks Like in Practice (The ‘How’):

Effective entry control is a two-part system. First is the procedural part: a clear policy that all non-employees must report to reception, sign in, and receive a safety briefing before being granted access. Second, and more importantly, is the physical part: creating an unambiguous physical separation that makes it impossible for someone to accidentally wander into a dangerous area. This means clear demarcation between office/public spaces and the warehouse/yard.

> Strategic Insight: Your property line is your first line of defense. Every meter inside that line that is left uncontrolled increases your risk profile exponentially.

The SVL Solution:

We provide the physical tools to enforce your entry control policy. To manage vehicle access, robust and flexible Parking Posts can be installed to block off service yards or restricted lanes, ensuring only authorised vehicles can proceed. For pedestrian access, a simple and effective Interclamp Handrail system can create a defined channel from the car park to the reception door, guiding visitors away from dangerous vehicle routes. For more flexible needs, Banner Stakes Retractable Barriers can quickly cordon off an area, providing a clear visual instruction to “stop.”

Manager’s Quick Check:

• Can a visitor walk from their car directly into your loading bay or warehouse without being stopped by a physical barrier or a person?
• Are all non-public entrances clearly signed and physically controlled to prevent unauthorised entry?

The ‘Why’ Explained:

This is the single most important rule in workplace transport safety. A collision between a person and a moving vehicle, even a slow-moving one, is the highest-risk event in any facility. A typical 3-tonne forklift has the weight and momentum to cause life-altering injuries or fatalities in an instant. There is no “minor” collision between a person and a forklift. The HSA consistently identifies this type of incident as a leading cause of workplace deaths in Ireland.

The Commercial Consequence:

The financial fallout from a serious pedestrian-vehicle incident is immense. It includes the potential for corporate manslaughter charges, multi-million-euro fines and legal claims, and a complete shutdown of operations for investigation. The damage to employee morale and your company’s ability to attract and retain staff can be terminal. It is a business-ending event.

What It Looks Like in Practice (The ‘How’):

The only truly effective way to prevent this type of accident is through physical segregation. While procedures, training, and painted lines on the floor are all necessary parts of a safety system, they rely on human behaviour and are therefore fallible. People get distracted, drivers cut corners. A physical barrier is a permanent, passive control that works 24/7. It removes the element of chance and human error.

> Strategic Insight: A painted line is a suggestion; a steel barrier is a decision. One relies on hope, the other on physics.

The SVL Solution:

This is SVL’s core expertise. We provide the engineering controls that make segregation a physical reality. For internal warehouse and factory environments, our Safestop Pedestrian Barrier systems are the gold standard. These are heavy-duty steel barriers specifically designed to create a protected walkway that can withstand a forklift impact. For external yards or areas with heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), our robust Armco Barriers provide a formidable line of defence. These systems don’t just suggest a boundary; they enforce it.

Manager’s Quick Check:

• Can a visitor walk from their car directly into your loading bay or warehouse without being stopped by a physical barrier or a person?
• Are all non-public entrances clearly signed and physically controlled to prevent unauthorised entry?

The ‘Why’ Explained:

For any large vehicle, from a delivery van to a counterbalance forklift, reversing is the most dangerous manoeuvre. The operator’s view is often severely restricted by the vehicle’s bodywork and its load, creating large and dangerous blind spots. A significant percentage of all workplace transport incidents occur while a vehicle is reversing.

The Commercial Consequence:

Reversing incidents frequently result in two types of costly damage: “impact with structure” (hitting racking, door frames, or columns) and “impact with person.” The first leads to expensive repair bills and operational downtime. The second leads to serious injury and all the associated legal and financial costs. Both are a direct drain on profitability.

What It Looks Like in Practice (The ‘How’):

The best solution is to design your site to minimise the need for reversing. This includes creating one-way traffic systems wherever possible, especially in loading bays (“drive-through” systems are the ideal). Providing wide turning circles in yards also allows vehicles to turn around without needing to perform a three-point turn. Where reversing is absolutely unavoidable, strict procedural controls like using a trained banksman (spotter) are necessary.

> Strategic Insight: Every time a driver has to reverse, you are relying on luck. Good site design and simple engineering controls take luck out of the equation.

The SVL Solution:

While site design is key, SVL provides a simple, low-cost, and incredibly effective engineering control to make unavoidable reversing safer. The installation of large, wide-angle Convex Mirrors at blind corners, aisle intersections, and exit points is essential. A strategically placed mirror gives a driver a clear view of the area they are about to reverse into, allowing them to spot a pedestrian or another vehicle in their blind spot before they even start moving. It is one of the most cost-effective safety devices you can install.

Manager’s Quick Check:

• Stand at a busy corner in your facility. Can a forklift driver see what is coming around that corner without inching forward into the traffic lane?
• Identify the top 3 areas where reversing occurs. Is there a mirror or other safety device in place to mitigate the risk?

The ‘Why’ Explained:

This tip builds directly on Tip #2. For a segregation system to work, the pedestrian route must be obvious, intuitive, and respected by everyone. A clearly marked walkway makes the movement of people on your site predictable, which is a cornerstone of safety. If a walkway is ambiguous or poorly defined, people will tend to drift out of it, putting themselves in danger.

The Commercial Consequence:

An ineffective walkway system leads directly to an increase in near-misses and, eventually, accidents. The commercial consequence is the same as failing to segregate traffic: higher risk of injury, greater potential for operational downtime, and increased legal liability. An HSA inspector will look for clear, effective walkways as a primary sign of a compliant safety system.

What It Looks Like in Practice (The ‘How’):

Many businesses believe a painted line on the floor is sufficient. It is not. Paint wears away, gets covered by dust and debris, and is easily ignored. A truly effective “marked” walkway is one that is physically defined. This is the difference between suggesting a boundary and enforcing one. Best practice is a walkway that is not only marked with a high-visibility colour but is also protected by a physical barrier.

> Strategic Insight: A walkway is not truly “marked” unless it is also “protected.” A physical barrier is the ultimate form of marking.

The SVL Solution:

We provide the ultimate form of “marking” a walkway. Our Safestop Pedestrian Guardrails are more than just barriers; they are the definitive boundary of the safe zone. By installing a robust, high-visibility yellow guardrail system, you create a physical and psychological channel that is impossible to mistake. It tells pedestrians exactly where it is safe to be, and it physically prevents vehicles from ever entering that space.

Manager’s Quick Check:

• Look at your painted walkways. Are they faded, worn, or often covered by pallets or equipment?
• Is your “marked” walkway simply a suggestion, or is it a physically enforced safe zone that can withstand an impact?

The ‘Why’ Explained:

This is the logical counterpart to Tip #4. Just as you need to define safe areas for people, you must also define dangerous, vehicle-only areas and prohibit pedestrian access. These high-risk zones include HGV loading yards, forklift charging stations, automated machinery areas, and compactor zones. In these areas, drivers are focused on their tasks and do not expect to encounter pedestrians.

The Commercial Consequence:

A pedestrian wandering into a vehicle-only zone is one of the highest-risk scenarios in any workplace. The consequences are severe injury or death. For the business, this means immediate shutdown for investigation, massive legal exposure, and a potential criminal prosecution by the HSA.

What It Looks Like in Practice (The ‘How’):

In these high-consequence zones, a simple sign on the wall is dangerously inadequate. A sign can be missed, ignored, or misunderstood. Effective “marking” in these areas requires a physical barrier that acts as an undeniable “stop” signal, preventing a person from accidentally walking into the path of danger.

> Strategic Insight: For your highest-risk areas, a sign provides a warning, but a barrier provides a certainty.

The SVL Solution:

SVL provides the physical “stop signs” that enforce your vehicle-only policy. For external HGV areas, a heavy-duty Armco Barrier provides a clear perimeter that pedestrians cannot cross. For internal areas, such as around machinery or at the end of racking aisles where forklifts turn, our low-level Safestop Ground Barriers are ideal. They create a physical trip hazard and barrier that stops someone in their tracks, reinforcing the message of the warning sign in a way that cannot be ignored.

Manager’s Quick Check:

• Go to your loading bay door. What is physically stopping an employee from the office from walking straight out into the path of a reversing HGV?
• Are your forklift charging areas protected by more than just a sign?

The ‘Why’ Explained:

Lighting is one of the most overlooked but critical aspects of workplace safety. Poor lighting reduces visibility, which slows down reaction times for both drivers and pedestrians. It can hide hazards on the floor, such as spills or debris. Furthermore, working in a dim environment causes eye strain and fatigue, which leads to a loss of concentration and an increased likelihood of human error.

The Commercial Consequence:

The costs of poor lighting are often hidden. They manifest as a general increase in small incidents—trips and falls, minor collisions, and picking errors – that add up to a significant loss of productivity and an increase in small injury claims. A facility with poor lighting is simply an inefficient and unsafe facility.

What It Looks Like in Practice (The ‘How’):

Good lighting is about more than just brightness. It’s about the quality and placement of the light. Key considerations include ensuring sufficient lux levels for the task being performed, eliminating deep shadows in corners and at intersections, and preventing glare that could temporarily blind a vehicle operator. A regular maintenance schedule for cleaning fittings and replacing bulbs is also essential.

The SVL Solution:

While SVL does not sell lighting systems, our role as expert site assessors means we are trained to identify poor lighting as a key contributing risk factor. During a complimentary site survey, our team will often be the first to point out that a dark corner or a shadowy intersection is a “hidden hazard.” We see your facility with fresh eyes and can identify these risks, recommending a professional lighting assessment as part of a holistic safety upgrade.

Manager’s Quick Check:

• Walk through your facility at the beginning or end of the day when natural light is low. Are there any areas where you cannot clearly see the floor from 20 metres away?
• Look at your overhead lights. Are they clean? Are any bulbs flickering or dead?

The ‘Why’ Explained:

This tip has two parts. First, temporary obstructions like empty pallets, bins, or parked equipment in a designated traffic lane are a major hazard. They force drivers to make sudden, unpredictable manoeuvres to get around them, increasing the risk of a collision. Second, permanent obstructions like structural columns, building corners, and large machinery are “impact magnets.” They are immovable objects in the path of moving vehicles and are frequently hit.

The Commercial Consequence:

The cost of temporary obstructions is inefficiency and an increased risk of accidents. The cost of hitting a permanent obstruction can be catastrophic. Damaging a key structural column can compromise the integrity of your entire building, leading to an immediate shutdown and an astronomical repair bill. Damaging a critical piece of machinery can halt your entire production line.

What It Looks Like in Practice (The ‘How’):

Dealing with temporary obstructions requires a strict “clear floor” housekeeping policy that is enforced by all managers. For permanent obstructions, simply marking them with paint is not enough. They must be physically protected by a solution that can absorb the impact of a vehicle.

> Strategic Insight: Scuff marks and scrapes on your columns and corners are not minor wear-and-tear. They are recorded near-misses that prove your assets are unprotected.

The SVL Solution:

SVL provides a comprehensive suite of products designed to shield your fixed assets. For structural columns and lamp posts, our high-visibility Column Wraps provide a cushioned, energy-absorbing shield. For vulnerable building corners, robust Steel Corner Guards can be installed. For protecting the base of expensive machinery or control panels, a ring of heavy-duty Bollards provides a formidable defence. These solutions don’t just warn a driver; they protect your asset when a driver makes a mistake.

Manager’s Quick Check:

• Are your main traffic routes consistently clear, or are they often used for temporary storage?
• Look at the base of your structural columns and the corners of your main doorways. Are they covered in scuffs and scrapes? This is a clear sign they need physical protection.

The ‘Why’ Explained:

This tip is the commercial heart of the entire poster. It is the HSA’s direct advice to invest in proactive damage prevention. Every facility has parts that are both highly vulnerable to impact and incredibly expensive or disruptive to repair. These include the legs of your pallet racking, your high-speed door frames, your electrical cabinets, and your loading bay docks. Protecting these assets is not a cost; it is insurance against massive, unplanned expenditure and downtime.

The Commercial Consequence:

A single damaged racking leg can require the entire aisle to be de-stocked, leading to days of lost productivity. A damaged loading bay door can halt all goods-in or goods-out. A damaged electrical panel can shut down your entire operation. The cost of a simple, physical protection product is microscopic compared to the cost of the incident it prevents.

What It Looks Like in Practice (The ‘How’):

This involves conducting a systematic survey of your facility to identify these “hot spots” where impacts are likely to occur. Once identified, the solution is to install purpose-built protection designed to absorb the specific type of impact that is likely to happen in that location.

> Strategic Insight: Your maintenance budget is a treasure map. It shows you exactly where your biggest vulnerabilities are and where an investment in protection will deliver the highest return.

The SVL Solution:

This is SVL’s core business. Our extensive catalogue is designed to provide a solution for every vulnerable part of your facility.

– For Pallet Racking, our range of Racking Protection includes end-of-aisle barriers and individual upright guards.

– For Loading Bays, our heavy-duty Rubber D-Fenders and Wheel Stops protect your building from docking trucks.

– For Walls and Doors, our range of Wall Guards and goalpost systems prevent costly damage from trolleys and vehicles.

By partnering with SVL, you gain access to a comprehensive armoury of protection solutions for every corner of your workplace.

Manager’s Quick Check:

• Ask your maintenance team: “What are the top 3 things you are constantly having to repair due to impact damage?”
• Look at your annual maintenance budget. How much of it is being spent on reactive repairs that could have been prevented with proactive protection?

The ‘Why’ Explained:

In a busy and visually complex environment like a warehouse, the human eye is naturally drawn to movement and bright, contrasting colours. High-visibility (hi-vis) clothing makes a person stand out from the background clutter, increasing the chance that a vehicle operator will see them. It is an absolutely essential, non-negotiable part of any workplace safety system.

The Commercial Consequence:

Failure to provide and enforce the use of hi-vis clothing is a major compliance breach and demonstrates a poor safety culture. In the event of an accident, this failure would be a significant factor in any legal proceedings and would expose the company to severe penalties.

What It Looks Like in Practice (The ‘How’):

This is more than just buying vests. It means having a clear, written policy that mandates the wearing of hi-vis clothing in all designated operational areas. This policy must be communicated to all staff, visitors, and contractors, and it must be consistently enforced by all levels of management.

> Strategic Insight: PPE protects the person. Physical barriers protect the system. A world-class safety culture invests in both, but relies on the system.

The SVL Solution:

Our role is to put this tip into its proper context. Hi-vis clothing is the last line of defence, not the first. It is a passive safety measure that relies 100% on the driver seeing the vest and taking the correct action. It does nothing to physically stop an impact. SVL’s physical barriers and guardrails provide the active, engineered protection that works even if a driver is distracted. A world-class safety system combines SVL’s physical protection with a mandatory PPE policy.

Manager’s Quick Check:

• Is your hi-vis policy written down, and has every single employee signed off to say they have read and understood it?
• Do managers and supervisors lead by example by always wearing their own PPE in designated areas?

The ‘Why’ Explained:

As stated in Tip #1, visitors are the most at-risk individuals in your facility. They do not know your rules, your layout, or your hazards. Leaving a visitor to navigate your workplace alone is a recipe for disaster. They are a significant liability, and the duty of care to protect them rests entirely with you, the business owner.

The Commercial Consequence:

An injury to a visitor can be even more damaging than an injury to an employee. It can lead to public lawsuits, severe reputational damage, and a loss of trust from customers and partners. It signals to the outside world that your facility is unprofessional and unsafe.

What It Looks like in Practice (The ‘How’):

A robust visitor policy has two key components. First, every visitor entering an operational area must be accompanied by a trained employee at all times. Second, you must create pre-defined, safe visitor routes that, wherever possible, keep them completely separate from moving vehicles. You should not be leading visitors on random tours through live operational zones.

> Strategic Insight: A safe visitor route is a reflection of your company’s professionalism. It shows you value the safety of everyone who walks through your doors, not just your employees.

The SVL Solution:

SVL’s barrier systems are the key to creating these safe visitor routes. By installing a clear and continuous Safestop Pedestrian Guardrail system, you can create a “safe corridor” through your facility. This makes the escort’s job incredibly simple and safe. They can confidently lead the visitor along the designated path, knowing that they are physically shielded from any adjacent vehicle traffic. It transforms a potentially hazardous tour into a safe and professional experience.

Manager’s Quick Check:

• Do you have a single, pre-defined route for all visitor tours of your facility?
• Does that route keep visitors physically separated from moving forklifts for its entire length?

The HSA’s ten tips are not ten separate tasks to be ticked off a list. They are ten interconnected principles that form a single, holistic safety system. Controlling your entrance (Tip #1) is linked to accompanying visitors (Tip #10). Segregating traffic (Tip #2) is achieved by providing protected walkways (Tip #4) and physically marking vehicle-only zones (Tip #5).

Building a truly safe workplace is about layering these principles together. It’s about creating a culture where safety is not an afterthought, but the foundation upon which an efficient and profitable operation is built.

The Health and Safety Authority provides the essential rules. They are the “what.” SVL Store Vision Ltd. provides the expertise, the experience, and the physical tools to help you build that system in your facility. We are the “how.”

Understanding the HSA’s poster is the first step. The next, most crucial step is putting it into action. A poster on a wall saves no one, but a physical barrier can.

Contact the SVL team today for a complimentary, no-obligation site assessment. An expert will walk your facility with you, identify your specific risks, and help you develop a practical plan to turn these ten life-saving guidelines into a physical reality.

• – Health and Safety Authority (HSA). *Watch Out – Traffic About! Workplace Transport Safety Tips Poster*. Retrieved from `https://www.hsa.ie/eng/Vehicles_at_Work/Workplace_Transport_Safety/Workplace_Transport_Safety_Tips_Poster.pdf`