Product Overview

Summary: This Pedestrian Safety on Site Safe Operating Procedure sets a clear, practical framework for keeping people safe wherever vehicles, mobile plant and foot traffic interact. Designed for Australian workplaces, it helps you control high‑risk pedestrian movements, meet WHS obligations, and demonstrate a proactive approach to preventing struck‑by incidents, near misses and serious injuries.

Wherever vehicles, mobile plant and pedestrians share the same space, the risk of serious injury or fatality is significant. This Pedestrian Safety on Site Safe Operating Procedure provides a structured, step‑by‑step approach to planning, implementing and monitoring safe pedestrian movements across construction, civil, industrial and warehouse environments. It guides you through establishing designated walkways, exclusion zones, traffic management plans, communication protocols and site induction requirements so everyone on site understands where they can and cannot go.

Developed with Australian WHS expectations in mind, this SOP helps businesses move beyond ad‑hoc controls and verbal instructions to a documented, defensible system. It addresses common problem areas such as uncontrolled delivery areas, blind spots around mobile plant, shared access points, and managing visitors or subcontractors who are unfamiliar with the site. By adopting this procedure, organisations can significantly reduce the likelihood of vehicle‑pedestrian interactions, improve compliance with duty of care requirements, and provide clear guidance for supervisors and workers when conditions change or high‑risk activities are underway.

The SOP also supports integration with broader traffic management and site safety systems, making it easier to demonstrate due diligence during audits, regulator inspections or incident investigations. It becomes a practical training and reference tool that standardises expectations across multiple sites, shifts and contractors, helping you build a consistent safety culture around pedestrian movement and separation from plant.

Key Benefits

• Reduce the risk of vehicle–pedestrian collisions by clearly defining walkways, exclusion zones and crossing points.
• Ensure compliance with Australian WHS legislation and traffic management guidance for workplaces with moving plant and vehicles.
• Standardise how supervisors, contractors and workers manage pedestrian movements across all sites and shifts.
• Improve induction and onboarding by giving new workers, visitors and delivery drivers clear, documented pedestrian rules.
• Support incident investigations and regulatory audits with a robust, evidence‑based procedure for pedestrian safety.

Who is this for?

• Site Supervisors
• Construction Project Managers
• WHS Managers and Advisors
• Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs)
• Civil and Infrastructure Supervisors
• Warehouse and Yard Managers
• Facilities and Operations Managers
• Traffic Controllers
• Principal Contractors
• Labour Hire Providers and Onboarding Coordinators

Hazards Addressed

• Pedestrians being struck by mobile plant, forklifts, trucks or light vehicles
• Crushing or pinching between vehicles, structures and plant
• Collisions at blind spots, corners, loading docks and reversing areas
• Pedestrian access to high‑risk zones such as lifting areas, excavation edges and crane operating zones
• Trips, slips and falls due to poorly maintained or cluttered pedestrian routes
• Confusion or miscommunication between plant operators, drivers and pedestrians
• Uncontrolled access by visitors, clients or delivery drivers to active work areas
• Exposure to falling objects in loading, unloading and overhead work areas

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope
• 2.0 Definitions (Pedestrian, Mobile Plant, Exclusion Zone, Spotter, etc.)
• 3.0 Roles and Responsibilities (PCBU, Officers, Supervisors, Workers, Contractors, Visitors)
• 4.0 Planning for Pedestrian Safety (Site Layout, Risk Assessment, Traffic Management Plans)
• 5.0 Design and Control of Pedestrian Routes (Walkways, Crossings, Barriers and Signage)
• 6.0 Separation of Pedestrians and Mobile Plant (Exclusion Zones, Spotters, No‑Go Areas)
• 7.0 Managing Vehicle Movements (Reversing, Loading/Unloading, Delivery Areas, Speed Limits)
• 8.0 Site Induction, Training and Communication Requirements
• 9.0 Visitor, Client and Delivery Driver Management
• 10.0 Controls for High‑Risk Activities (Cranes, Excavations, Night Works, Restricted Visibility)
• 11.0 Inspection, Monitoring and Housekeeping of Pedestrian Areas
• 12.0 Incident, Near Miss and Non‑Compliance Reporting
• 13.0 Emergency Access and Egress for Pedestrians
• 14.0 Review, Consultation and Continuous Improvement
• 15.0 Document Control and Record Keeping

Legislation & References

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth and corresponding state and territory legislation)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (and state/territory equivalents), particularly provisions relating to traffic management and mobile plant
• Safe Work Australia – General Guide for Workplace Traffic Management
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Construction Work
• AS 1742.3: Manual of uniform traffic control devices – Traffic control for works on roads
• AS/NZS ISO 45001: Occupational health and safety management systems – Requirements with guidance for use