Posted By Steve D. Clarke Hi All, I've had an enquiry from a manager who has a number of permanent, temporary and voluntary staff who install stiles, footpath signs, gates etc on roadside verges. Typically the work is short duration and only a few staff are involved at each site at any one time. He has been told that all staff who work within the highway boundary (hedge to hedge) must have accredited training on locating underground services, signing, guarding, lighting and excavation etc following the New Road and Street Act 1991. This would be prohibitively expensive for the unit and my feeling is that providing operatives are trained/instructed/monitored by fully accredited supervisors then we will have done enough i.e.reasonably practicable approach. If this is the case would the accredited supervisor have to be on site all the time. I have little experience in this area and any advice visitors to the IOSH site could offer would be a great help. Thanks in anticipation

Posted By Sam Rawcliffe Steve Works in the Public Highway are covered by the New Roads & Street Works Act. Under Section 67 of the Act there is a statutory duty for a Supervisor (who does not necessarily have to be on site at all times) with a prescibed qualification and that there is at least one Operatives on site at all times with a prescribed qualification. The prescribed qualifications refered to are the NRSWA Accreditations which when achieved are recorded and held on the Streetworks Qualification Register. For further information, try: http://www.streetworks.fsnet.co.uk