Safety briefing - protecting the public

This briefing provides essential information to workers on the protection of road users, visitors, residents, passers-by and trespassers, including children.

What’s covered?

The aim of this Safety Briefing - Protecting the Public is to ensure that workers understand the ways in which the public may be put at risk and their role in preventing them coming to any harm.

Reasons for concern

There are many hazards to the public, both within a site boundary and off site which arise from work activities. Harm can be caused by:

• children and others trespassing on sites out of working hours
• materials falling or flying outside of site boundaries
• children playing games with materials stored in a public space
• the collapse of walls and hoardings
• unattended tools and machinery
• injury to those using roads and pavements, e.g. due to falling or spilled loads, the design of site entrances, mud taken onto the highway.

Control measures

The briefing includes a list of precautions which workers should take as applicable to the circumstances of the site and their work. These cover general safety and security, end of day procedures, storage, plant and vehicles.

Key points

Attendees must take note of the following key points:

• “All workers must be mindful of the safety of road users, visitors, residents, passers-by and trespassers, especially children
• There are many hazards from work activities which can affect the public.
• All staff must play their part by working safely, keeping the site secure and leaving plant and materials in safe condition (and locked up where necessary).
• Workers must alert management to any concerns which affect public safety including evidence of trespass.”