Company traffic refers to everything related to the movement of people, vehicles, raw materials, and products within company premises, whether these are enclosed departments or external areas.
The tendency is often to consider internal road safety only in terms of aspects relating to transportation or emergency evacuation; general road safety, however, is often seen as a complementary issue, difficult to manage due to its precarious nature and dynamically variable nature, based on various contingent factors such as potential interference from external companies (suppliers and maintenance workers), the variety and multiplicity of routes and parking of internal and external means of transport, pedestrians, etc.
Instead, we need to focus on an organization that also considers the problem of traffic as an important factor, as it can potentially cause major accidents affecting business investments.
It is therefore necessary to tackle the problem of the viability of a settlement in an organic way by managing it in
less disorganized manner with clear provisions and rules defined by the company:
- Simplify and minimize product flows, based on the company layout, and minimize internal transport operations, also using, where possible, automatic product feed systems such as conveyor belts.
- If possible, combine changing rooms, toilets, sinks, showers, and rest areas into a single block:
a rational distribution of the sanitary and assistance services allows for the creation of complete and easy-to-use structures
to be managed thus limiting the need for pedestrian transit outside the buildings.
- If there are two road entrances, it's a good idea to use a one-way system in the external yards, with one entrance and one exit. This automatically halves the risk of being hit by trucks and forklifts.
The above information must be disseminated widely to all workers, suppliers, and visitors regarding the company's traffic regulations.
The Company Road Plan Project
The Company Traffic Plan must be designed and defined in writing. It must define the traffic rules in use within the Company's departments and external areas and establish sufficient organizational and procedural measures to ensure the safety of workers with respect to risks associated with the use of forklifts and all other internal and external means of transport (pallet trucks, cars, trucks, etc.) and of workers/pedestrians.
The plan must include in particular:
- the condition of the pavement and its maintenance must be such that there are no holes or depressions that could jeopardize the stability of the vehicle and its load; furthermore, it must be kept constantly clean of construction waste to ensure the safe transit of people and vehicles;
- adopt clear signage that clearly identifies company traffic flow, the layout of spaces, and the overall organization of internal circulation; ensure lane separation, highlighting areas where goods are stored, and where forklifts and pedestrians pass with stripes and pictograms;
- create horizontal road markings with non-slip and highly visible materials;
- highlight pedestrian crossings, STOP signs, any particular dangers (crossing bans), fixed obstacles, etc.
Please remember that road signs, especially horizontal ones, are subject to wear and tear and must be regularly maintained to ensure their long-term effectiveness. It's a good idea to establish the frequency of inspection and repairs in a specific program, an integral part of the road network plan.
It is important to inform workers of the contents of the company's internal circulation plan and monitor their actual compliance with safety procedures. To this end, it is advisable to identify, through a specific formal procedure, a person responsible for frequent periodic checks (e.g., a supervisor/warehouse manager).
In the event of non-compliance with the traffic regulations in force within the company, take measures, such as verbal and written warnings, temporary or permanent suspension of access to the company by external companies. These measures must be taken in the event of:
- excessive speed of trolleys and vehicles;
- driving forklifts without the necessary visibility;
- failure to respect signs and right of way;
- "wild" parking of vehicles, especially if this occurs near emergency exits;
- "chaotic" storage of materials outside of designated areas, especially when this constitutes an obstacle to traffic and a danger to workers in the event of materials stored at height falling onto workstations and passageways;
- transit of pedestrians and vehicles outside the designated and prescribed areas;
- operating vehicles and transport equipment without permits, authorizations, or specific training;
- transport of people in unauthorized vehicles.
For mixed traffic of vehicles and pedestrians
The minimum width (X) of traffic routes with vehicular and pedestrian traffic is obtained by adding the width of the largest vehicles or their load (xl), the minimum width of pedestrian routes (0.8 metres) and a minimum manoeuvring tolerance (x2) of 0.4 metres.
One-way traffic with limited pedestrian traffic.
For pedestrian traffic
Main traffic routes intended for pedestrian traffic within buildings must have a minimum width of 1.2 metres.
Based on the provisions contained in the building and fire safety laws, it is possible to request access routes
wider circulation.
The clear height of pedestrian traffic routes must not be less than 2.1 metres (in exceptional cases 1.9 metres is sufficient).
Traffic lighting
All internal company traffic routes must be provided with sufficient natural or artificial lighting, suitable for the purpose.
The required illuminance values vary depending on the location.
