Traffic Marshal and Banksman Course (UK): Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: The risks and the law

Vehicles at work kill and injure people every year. HSE says nearly a quarter of all deaths involving workplace transport happen during reversing, and that most reversing accidents can be avoided. Every year, banksmen themselves are seriously or fatally injured.

Main laws

Law	What it requires
Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974	General duty to keep workers and the public safe
Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, regulation 17	Every workplace organised so pedestrians and vehicles can move safely, with enough separation where they share a route
Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, regulations 27 and 28	Safe traffic routes on construction sites, and warnings for people at risk from moving vehicles
Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996	The standard hand signals

These regulations apply in Great Britain. In Northern Ireland, the regulator is the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI), which gives the same core advice on reversing.

Under CDM 2015 regulation 28(2), when someone directs a driver who does not have full visibility, the duty to warn people at risk falls on the driver, the person directing, or both.

Lesson 2: Planning site traffic

A banksman is not the first answer. HSE says a site should consider using one only where there is no other way to control reversing risks. First, the site plan should:

Remove reversing where possible, with one-way or drive-through routes and turning circles.
Plan and clearly mark reversing areas, and keep people who do not need to be there well clear.
Separate people from vehicles with barriers, walkways and separate pedestrian and vehicle doors or gates.
Provide marked crossing points where routes meet.
Make sure visiting drivers know the site layout and rules.
Let drivers leaving the site see along the public footway in both directions.

On construction sites, CDM 2015 regulation 27 also requires that any loading bay has at least one exit for pedestrians only.

Reversing aids

Mirrors, cameras and sensors help. A driver with no view behind should get out and check first. Reversing alarms help, but HSE says they must be loud and distinct enough not to become part of the background noise. Flashing lights can help where an alarm might blend in.

Events

HSE event safety guidance says to keep people and vehicles apart, use one-way routes where possible, and finish work vehicle tasks in public areas before the audience is admitted. Drivers, banksmen and traffic marshals should be trained and competent, and a traffic management plan should cover it all.

Lesson 3: Working as a banksman

A banksman (HSE also says signaller) guides a vehicle and keeps people out of its way. The standard signal rules say that while signalling, your only duties are directing the manoeuvre and keeping nearby workers safe. Do not check paperwork, answer phones or help unload at the same time.

Wear high-visibility clothing whenever you guide vehicles.

Safe practice

Wear highly visible clothing, such as a reflective vest, so the driver can always recognise you.
Stand where the driver can see you at all times and where you can guide the vehicle without being in its path.
Agree a clear signalling system with the driver before the move starts. Radios may help.
Keep pedestrians out of the reversing area.
If you cannot see the whole manoeuvre without putting yourself at risk, one or more extra signallers should be used.

The driver's part

If the driver loses sight of the banksman, the driver must stop immediately.
If the driver cannot carry out an order safely, they must suspend the move and ask for new instructions.

HSE notes that signallers are not allowed in some industries, because the vehicles are so large that drivers cannot see them well. Always follow your site rules.

Lesson 4: The standard hand signals

HSE says the banksman and driver must use standard signals so they are easily understood. These are set out in Schedule 1, Part IX of the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996. Signals must be precise, simple and clearly different from each other.

Signal	Meaning	How it is given
START	Attention, start of command	Both arms straight out to the sides, palms facing forward
STOP	Interruption, end of movement	Right arm pointing straight up, palm facing forward
END	End of the operation	Both hands clasped together at chest height
MOVE FORWARDS	Come towards the signaller	Both arms bent, palms up, forearms moving slowly towards the body
MOVE BACKWARDS	Move away from the signaller	Both arms bent, palms down, forearms moving slowly away from the body
RIGHT / LEFT	To the signaller's right or left	Right arm (for RIGHT) or left arm (for LEFT) out roughly level, palm down, small slow movements in that direction
DANGER	Emergency stop	Both arms raised above the head, palms facing forward
QUICK / SLOW	Speed up or slow down	Make the signal faster or more slowly

There are also signals for raising and lowering a load and for showing a distance with the hands, which are mostly used with cranes.

Lesson 5: Car parks, events and public roads

On private land, such as a site yard or a private car park, you work to the site traffic management plan and the owner's rules. Visiting drivers should be told the site rules, and problems should be reported to your supervisor.

On a public road, the law is different:

Under section 35 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (England, Wales and Scotland), it is an offence for a driver to ignore directions from a police constable or traffic officer who is regulating traffic.
The Highway Code shows signals given by authorised persons, such as police officers, traffic officers, DVSA officers and school crossing patrols, and says drivers must obey DVSA and traffic officer signals.
In England and Wales, the chief officer of police can accredit some people with power to control traffic under Schedule 5 of the Police Reform Act 2002.

A security officer or steward without these powers should not try to stop or direct traffic on a public road. If a vehicle must cross a footway or road to enter your site, follow the site plan, keep pedestrians safe and get police help where needed.