THE Building Safety Group (BSG) has issued an ‘urgent’ alert following the identification of a 21% rise in traffic management breaches across UK construction sites.
The figure is drawn from approximately 6,000 independent safety inspections conducted on behalf of the construction industry over a six-month period, comparing Q4 2025 with Q1 2026.
The BSG said the findings serve as a ‘stark reminder’ of the dangers posed by inadequate traffic management and pedestrian segregation on sites.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), inadequate pedestrian and traffic management on construction sites is responsible for approximately seven worker deaths and 93 serious injuries every year in the UK.
The most common causes of traffic-related injuries and fatalities include being struck by a moving vehicle, being struck by a forklift truck, falls from vehicles and being trapped between a vehicle and a fixed structure such as a wall. New build projects are also said to represent a ‘particularly elevated area’ of risk for traffic management failings.
Common deficiencies identified during inspections include poor or absent segregation of pedestrians and vehicles, broken or non-functioning reversing alarms and cameras, and a lack of trained banksmen.
Andrew Harper, head of technical and CDM support at BSG, said, “The law is clear — you must organise a construction site so that vehicles and pedestrians using site routes can move around safely. Routes need to be suitable for the people or vehicles using them, positioned correctly, and sufficient in both number and size.
“This is not a complex or costly requirement; it is a fundamental duty of care that every site manager, principal contractor, and CDM duty holder must take seriously. A 21% increase in traffic management breaches is not a statistic we can accept passively — it demands an immediate and collective response from across the industry.”
