In the UK, the Mineral Products Association (MPA) has published its Contract Surfacing Operational Guidance to aid members in achieving zero harm while laying asphalt operations.
MPA recommends the principles and detail in the guidance for road owners, operators, main contractors and surfacing teams seeking to make highways construction and maintenance sites safer.
Ian Gibson, senior programme manager, environment health and safety, says MPA members are committed to the health and safety of their workforce and others who their operations may affect.
“This publication has been prepared to share thinking on ways to achieve best practice and examples of systems to deliver that. As new and improved systems are developed, so we will continue to review and update the guidance to reflect progress and best practice,” Gibson adds.
Malcolm Simms, director of MPA Asphalt, says: “This guidance aims to encourage contractors to reconsider and gives examples of how to address those challenges. With new technology coming on stream all the time to firstly prevent incidents and then protect workers in the worst-case scenario we continue to work to ensure that everybody goes home safely having been in or past an operating highways site."
Chris Hudson, chairman of the MPA's health and safety committee has welcomed the report, saying that the guidance was developed by safety practitioners and operational managers from across the MPA membership.
“Surfacing operations occur at night as well as during daylight hours which gives an added dimension to the risk involved by the teams working on these complex maintenance contracts,” Hudson adds.
