Site Safety, Signs, Signals and Site Access
Site safety is about controlled movement of people, plant and vehicles. Understand site access and egress procedures: reporting to the site office, signing in, induction, and obeying one-way systems and speed limits. Pedestrians and plant should be segregated wherever possible - questions often test the principle of physical separation (barriers, walkways) over reliance on the operator 'looking out'.
Learn the sign categories and their shapes: prohibition (red circle with diagonal bar), mandatory (blue circle), warning (yellow triangle with black border), safe condition/fire equipment (green rectangle), and fire-fighting equipment (red rectangle). Know common site signals: banksman/vehicle marshal hand signals, audible reversing alarms, and the rule that if you lose sight of the signaller, stop immediately.
Traps:
- Assuming a reversing alarm means it is safe to walk behind plant - it is a warning, not a guarantee.
- Confusing mandatory (blue) with prohibition (red) signs.
- Believing a banksman overrides the operator's own judgement - the operator remains responsible for the lift.
- Forgetting that pedestrians should make eye contact with operators before crossing a plant route.
Rule of thumb: If you cannot see the operator's eyes (or they cannot see you), they cannot see you. Never assume you have been seen.
Worked example: A telescopic handler must reverse into a loading bay. The marshal stands where the operator can see them at all times. If a stack of pallets blocks the view, the operator stops until communication is re-established - never continue on assumption.