With the 2013 Isle of Man TT fast approaching, the Department of Infrastructure has issued a reminder of the risks associated with operating vehicles and carrying out activities on the TT course and other roads during the festival.
The Department has sent a letter to companies and organisations involved in operating vehicles on the course and other roads, providing information on measures which can help deliver reasonable safety standards for employees and other road users.
Local Authorities, utility companies, delivery businesses and building firms are among the recipients.
The letter includes guidance drafted by the Department’s Highways and Health and Safety teams on complying with relevant legislation, and advises of the need to carry out safety assessments when operating vehicles on the TT course and tributary roads to ensure the possible risks of motorcycles and other vehicles approaching at high speeds are identified.
Identifying those issues, the letter explains, will allow informed decisions on the controls measures needed to be made.
David Cretney MHK, Minister for Infrastructure said: ‘We want to ensure our roads can be used and enjoyed by all, as safely as possible. ‘A combination of motorcycles, cars and other vehicles moving at high speeds along roads which are also being used by slow or stationary delivery or collection vehicles, presents potential risks for anyone operating vehicles on such roads, so this advice and guidance will be of use throughout the year.
‘The TT leads to a significant increase in the number of road users, so it is timely to remind vehicle operators of the potential risks, the sensible steps they can take to identifying and address those risks, and the additional assistance the Department can offer through its Highways Division and the Health and Safety at Work Inspectorate.’
He added: ‘If organisations which operate vehicles on the Island’s roads identify and implement controls relevant to what they are doing, they will be playing an important part in making our roads safer. We have written to a large number of companies and organisations, and would urge them to share the information with anyone else they feel might also benefit from adopting the guidance it contains.’
The letter encourages recipients to contact the HSWI and Highways teams if they have any questions and includes contact details for advice on working in the highway, risk assessments and control measures, driver training, competency standards, vehicle registration and maintenance requirements.
Advice on risk assessments and control measures is available from the Health and Safety at Work Inspectorate via the following link (www.gov.im/transport/msd/healthandsafety/publications.xml) or on 01624 685881. The UK HSE web site (www.hse.gov.uk) is also a source of useful free information.
Advice on driver training and competency standards and vehicle registration and maintenance requirements is available from DOI Highways Division on 01624 627431.
Advice on working in the Highway can be obtained from DOI Highways Division on 01624 686665.
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