An electric scooter in the workplace and compliance with regulations and principles of safe and hygienic work – this is a big challenge for employers. The enormous popularity of electric scooters in recent years has resulted in the willingness to implement this means of transport also in enterprises. They are easy to use and, most importantly, they significantly reduce travel time, especially in large production or logistics halls. However, taking into account both the safety of the employees themselves and possible threats resulting from the use of the scooter in a closed facility, the transfer of the equipment should be preceded by the development and implementation of guidelines based on currently applicable regulations.

An electric scooter is an electrically powered, two-axle vehicle with a steering wheel, without a seat or pedals. It is designed to be moved only by the driver on the vehicle – which should be the first key information provided to employees with the new equipment.

Due to the fact that the employer is obliged to protect the health and life of employees by ensuring safe and hygienic working conditions with the appropriate use of achievements of science and technology. In particular, the employer is obliged to:

• organize work in a way that ensures safe and hygienic working conditions;
• ensure compliance with occupational health and safety regulations and principles in the workplace;
• issue orders to remove deficiencies in the scope of non-compliance with occupational health and safety and monitor the implementation of these orders;
• respond to the needs to ensure occupational health and safety and adapt measures taken to improve the existing level of health and life protection of employees, taking into account the changing conditions of work;
• ensure the development of a coherent policy to prevent accidents at work and occupational diseases, taking into account technical issues, work organization, working conditions, social relations and the influence of work environment factors.

In order to establish transparent occupational health and safety rules regarding the use of electric scooters in the workplace, the workplace could have regulations in this respect clearly indicating not only the rules for using electric scooters, but also prohibited activities.

You should specify, among others:

• routes that can be traveled with particular caution and taking into account other road users – pedestrians and vehicles;

• maximum speed on the scooter as well as allowed places and how to leave them. As for the maximum speed, it is worth setting limits so that employees cannot exceed the safe barrier.
• From a safety point of view, signaling the intention to turn is particularly problematic because not all scooters have turn signals, and indicating the direction of travel by extending one’s hand, as is the case with cyclists, may result in loss of balance and, consequently, a fall. Therefore, at the stage of selecting scooters for employees, it is worth considering purchasing those with turn signals or possibly the possibility of additionally purchasing and installing them;
• the next issue should concern protection against falls and head injuries, i.e. riding with a helmet. Although the regulations do not require wearing a helmet when riding a bicycle or a scooter, it is worth including this aspect in the internal regulations due to the possible consequences of a fall on a concrete surface;
• it is worth including information on the safe distance during an evasive maneuver in the regulations;
• it is also important to clearly indicate what activities and behaviors are prohibited – e.g. transporting other people or cargo or, obviously, driving under the influence of alcohol – points out Karolina Garbowicz, Work Safety Expert at W&W Consulting.

Another aspect that should be considered when choosing electric scooters as a means of transport around the plant or logistics centers is creating a safe place to leave them. – It may be a designated parking lot for bicycles or a specially created parking lot for scooters marked with a horizontal sign. Remember that it must not be left in a place that impedes pedestrians or drivers. Therefore, it is worth developing parking regulations and indicating all issues related to how to leave scooters, their parking time and charging instructions only in designated and adapted places – so that it does not become a controversial issue in the process of obtaining insurance as a consequence of a possible fire – adds the Expert for occupational safety, W&W Consulting.

Source:https://kadry.infor.pl/bhp/bezpieczenstwo-pracy/6402706,hulajnoga-elektryczna-w-zakladzie-pracy-a-bhp.html

Supported by Norway through Norway Grants 2014-2021, in the frame of the Programme “Social Dialogue – Decent Work”.