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Maximising safety through implementing traffic management plans

traffic management

Without acquiring your own customised traffic management plan, little information can be found on the best traffic management practices in manufacturing facilities. And no manufacturing facilities require a detailed traffic management plan more so than food and beverage manufacturers.

One of the fastest growing industries within the Australian manufacturing sector, food and beverage manufacturing facilities are fast-paced environments with little room for error – on both the quality and safety. There are frequent changes within these facilities, with areas being repurposed to manufacture a new line of products, or extend the current production.

But ensuring and maximising safety shouldn’t be difficult – and often it isn’t. There are a couple of key things to keep in mind when it comes to developing a traffic management plan. The first is visibility. You can’t be guaranteed that all employees will read or be able to read signs. So where possible, use symbols and line markings.

traffic management

The second is consistency. If one exclusion zone is marked black & yellow, all exclusion zones need to be marked black & yellow – unless it is serving a different purpose. This will allow employees to understand the markings and continue in accord with them.

Let’s take a look at some neat examples of maximising safety in various facilities.

 

traffic managementIn the below example, this dairy manufacturer had issues with a step near a main production line becoming slippery during production and wash-down. The step was reformed, to become a sharp, neat step, finished in a bright orange (who wouldn’t notice that?), with a medium non-slip film to reduce the risk of slips.

Remember, visibility is key.

Another example of visibility is shown in a loading zone at a large food packing facility. Shown below, this particular company wanted it as clear as possible that no pedestrians were to walk across that zone.

Where possible, use bright colours, like red, yellow, orange or green for pedestrian walkways. Black should to be reserved for exclusion zones.

traffic managementThe below image shows a truck loading zone, with a path at the back of the zone, to ensure pedestrians walk along the path, not within the loading zone.

There are many ways to increase safety at your facility. For traffic management advice or help on implementing strategies, please reach out to our team.

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