Vehicle and transport safety at work (HSE Bulletin)
Being struck by a vehicle continues to be one of the main causes of fatal and major injuries in the workplace.
The latest figures for 2024 to 2025 show that show that 14 workers were killed when struck by a moving vehicle. You can find more data on work-related fatal injuries in Great Britain.
Our workplace transport website has a range of guidance, advice and other resources to help reduce the risks and keep workers safe. This includes:
- vehicle safety
- site safety
- lift trucks
You can also download relevant publications on our website, which include:
- A guide to workplace transport safety
- Workplace transport safety – a brief guide
- Rider-operated lift trucks
Steel firm fined £1.5 million after worker killed at plant
The worker was fatally crushed by a piece of machinery while a hydraulic leak was being fixed.
Maintenance work to replace a lift cylinder on a large conveyor system had been completed earlier that day. The system was in the process of being put back into service when a hydraulic leak was found.
As the worker climbed into the conveyor system, his presence triggered sensors that activated a moving beam in a live section, fatally injuring him.
HSE’s investigation found the company had failed to:
- ensure the work to replace the lift cylinder was done safely
- properly isolate the conveyor system before the worker returned to address the leak
- ensure the conveyor system was effectively guarded to prevent access to dangerous moving parts of the machinery
Read more in our press release: steel firm fined £1.5 million after worker crushed to death at plant.
Visit our news centre for more health and safety headlines, which include:
Managing work-related violence and aggression
Violence and aggression at work can have a serious impact on your workers physical and mental health.
Our guidance on violence and aggression at work will help you protect your workers. It covers how to:
- assess the risks
- put the right controls in place
- report and learn from incidents
We have specific guidance on how to support your workers after a violent incident. There are also examples drawn from typical situations where employers have reduced the risk of violence.
In addition, there is separate advice for workers on violence in the workplace. It explains how they can help employers prevent violent incidents at work.
Reporting accidents and illness at work
Make sure you submit a Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) report for a workplace accident where necessary.
RIDDOR puts duties on employers, the self-employed and those in control of work premises to report certain serious workplace accidents, occupational diseases and specified dangerous occurrences.
Our website has further information about RIDDOR, including:
- the types of incident that must be reported and those that are exempt
- a step-by-step guide on how to make a RIDDOR report
- definitions of RIDDOR key terms
Grocery wholesaler fined £1 million after worker is killed
The worker was fatally crushed by a reversing heavy goods vehicle (HGV) during a delivery.
The incident occurred when the worker was acting as a banksman, directing a colleague who was reversing the HGV. While attempting to guide the vehicle into the unloading area, he became trapped between the vehicle and a wall, sustaining fatal crush injuries.
HSE’s investigation found that the grocery wholesaler he worked for had failed to:
- implement a safe system of work for vehicle movements
- adequately assess the risks involved in the task
- provide sufficient training for workers acting as banksmen
Read more in our press release: grocery wholesaler fined £1 million after worker killed by reversing HGV.
Our website has guidance for working safely with vehicles.
Visit our news centre for more health and safety headlines, which include:
Pressure systems
If a piece of pressure equipment fails and bursts violently apart, the results can be devastating to people in its vicinity.
Pressure systems are defined as:
- a system comprising one or more pressure vessels of rigid construction, any associated pipework and protective devices
- the pipework with its protective devices to which a transportable pressure receptacle is, or is intended to be, connected
- a pipeline and its protective devices
Our website has guidance, regulations and resources on pressure systems.
We also have publications including:
We also run a training course that is available both in-person and online: Pressure systems awareness.
