Guidance on the use of CSAS traffic management operatives at events
Introduction
The Road Traffic Act 1988 states the only people who can stop and direct traffic are police officers in uniform or those to whom police officer powers have been conferred under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) by Surrey Police. The Police Reform Act 2002 enabled Surrey Police to confer certain powers to traffic management companies together with named traffic management operatives.
Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS)
CSAS accreditation is only available to Limited companies and, from a traffic marshalling perspective, this only includes traffic management companies.
It is the event organiser’s responsibility to determine each individual event’s requirement for traffic management and to establish if CSAS accredited traffic management operatives are specifically required.
Powers of CSAS accredited traffic management operatives
Traffic management operatives accredited by Surrey Police are conferred two powers:
- To stop and direct traffic;
- To record the details of anyone failing to comply.
Requirement for CSAS staff when managing event traffic
- Installing traffic management equipment for a road closure
When an event on the highway (roadway) requires a road closure to be put in place, Surrey County Council recommends that those involved in setting out signs/closures are competent adults, ideally those who have received training under the Sector 12D scheme or the New Roads and Street Works Act (NRWSA) Unit 10 (signing and guarding). They should also be wearing appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), be fully briefing on the sign schedule and be aware of the risks involved.
However, anyone can walk in to the road and place signs, cones and barriers across the highway to prevent vehicle access in support of a relevant Traffic Order. It is recommended that a suitable risk assessment is carried out before anyone operates in the highway.
2. Staffing a road closure point
The road closure is enforced by the presence of the correct and compliant road signage.
When volunteers or those untrained in traffic management are being used to staff a road closure, these individuals do not have the authority to direct traffic on the public highway.
If there is a need to direct vehicles, then traffic management operatives specifically accredited under the CSAS scheme are empowered to direct vehicles by the police.
Examples where CSAS staff are required as part of the traffic management plan
- CSAS accredited operatives would be required to staff a closure where there is a recognised need to stop and direct traffic in the event traffic management plan. An example of this could be:
a) A location which requires or allows vehicles to cross a closed road for a period of time after the road closure is in place as part of a wider access plan agreed as part of the traffic management plan;
b) Management of traffic that needs to travel through the closure point as part of a pre arranged access agreement with the event organiser.
Examples where CSAS staff are not required as part of the traffic management plan
- Closure point where no passage of traffic through the closure is expected , CSAS is not required.
Recommendations
- Event organisers need to consider sufficient accredited staff to allow breaks. Ensure there are sufficient staff available to deliver contingency arrangements.
- Traffic management plan arrangements should be covered by a Risk Assessment.
Road closure order or Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO)
It is crucial the Road Closure Order or TTRO clearly stipulates whether access will be granted to, for instance, local residents or event related vehicles. It is the responsibility of the event organiser to ensure the Road Closure Order or TTRO is correctly requested and worded.
CSAS accredited companies in Surrey
There are five companies currently CSAS accredited within Surrey
- TRACSIS
- CSP
- Total Event Solutions (TES) (This link diverts to buko.co.uk as BUKO Traffic and Safety is a trading style of Road Traffic Solutions Ltd).
- Wayward Directions Limited
- Right Guard Solutions Limited
all of which have a number of both CSAS accredited traffic management operatives and non CSAS operatives. This means a CSAS accredited company could provide both types of operatives as necessary for an event.
As indicated above, it is not possible nor practical for organisations, which are not traffic management companies, to apply for and go through the approval process to become CSAS accredited.
Help from Surrey Police
There must be no expectation that Surrey Police will provide traffic management services.
Conclusions
As legislation evolves and the onus on event organisers also changes, it should be recognised that whilst events may have been delivered safely previously, this should be reconsidered on a regular basis with evidence of such reconsideration potentially provided – Martyn’s Law (“Protect” legislation) and any other existing or new legislation refer.
Separate guidance is available on:
- What to consider when writing a Traffic Management Plan (TMP);
- Organising road closures for sporting events which sets out the process and timelines to be followed.
This document is subject to review and may be updated at any time.