Serious work accidents are a common occurrence in pedestrian and vehicle areas on industrial and commercial sites. At the Josef Puntinger vehicle workshop, pedestrian and vehicle traffic is kept separate using a system of properly regulated signs.

The task

Josef Puntinger Gesellschaft m.b.H. & Co KG is a small vehicle sale and repair business. The routes on the company’s site are used for vehicle arrivals and departures, workplace access and customer traffic.

The risks

Accidents involving employees and customers can occur as vehicles arrive or are driven away. Employees and customers who use the routes on the site as pedestrians are especially exposed to risk. The accidents that occur in these circumstances can be particularly serious.

The solution and methodology

Introducing a safe design for the routes in question reduces the number of accidents. Separating pedestrian and vehicle traffic contributes significantly to increasing levels of safety. This kind of separation is particularly important in critical traffic areas such as busy vehicle entrances and exits. Traffic and work areas are kept separate by means of a precise system of colour coding for vehicle routes.

The effectiveness of results

This measure can be very easily transferred to other businesses, reducing the risk of accidents. The markings are renewed regularly.

Further measures, such as the use of barriers alongside the danger area, or of signs displaying orders and prohibitions for pedestrians, are also among the possible ways of reducing danger. Routes that are intended for pedestrian use only should be marked as such with a sign. These signs also indicate to drivers that the routes in question are closed to vehicles.

Vehicle routes can also be clearly separated from pedestrian routes by various forms of surfacing, ground studs, lighting, crash barriers or landscaping.

The employee participation

All employees are bound to adhere to the displayed instructions.

The costs and benefits

In return for low investment costs, a considerable element of risk for vehicle technicians can be avoided.

Entrepreneur's Testimony "Our customers’ road safety is a significant goal of our business. Likewise, our employees’ safety must be ensured at all times."