Movement Within Companies: What Are the Regulations?

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Movement within a company creates risks for workers and therefore requires specific prevention measures. In this article, Tennaxia reviews the regulations and the employer's obligations on this topic.

What is movement within a company?

Movement within a company covers all movements of people and work equipment, as well as the places in which they take place.

It is organised in particular around main circulation routes and access/exit points to the company's premises.

🔍 Focus: Circulation regulations apply to the entire company and also cover the main circulation routes on the company's grounds, as well as the routes used for the regular monitoring and maintenance of the company's facilities (Article R4214-13 of the Labour Code).

What are the risks linked to movement within a company?

The issues around movement within a company are particularly significant when the company uses mobile or hazardous work equipment and when the company's activity involves specific risks.

Indeed, collisions between pedestrians and vehicles, as well as falls in a hazardous or elevated environment, can cause serious or even fatal injuries.

ℹ Note: According to CNAMTS statistics, in 2008, 42% of workplace accidents were attributable to movement within companies i.e. nearly 330,000 accidents. That same year, 575 deaths were caused by workplace movement-related accidents.

How can risks linked to movement within a company be prevented?

How should risks linked to movement within a company be assessed?

The employer must protect the health and safety of their employees, in particular by implementing a risk prevention approach (Article L4121-2 of the Labour Code).

The employer must therefore analyse and assess risks linked to movement within their company, which involves:

• analysing the workplace, its layout and its dimensions;
• taking into account the company's work equipment;
• defining the movements of people, work equipment or vehicles, as well as circulation flows.

For the analysis of the workplace, it is advisable to use the company's floor plan to precisely define the size of the workplace, space requirements, and the presence of clearways, stairs, car parks, hazardous areas, fixed and mobile work equipment, etc.

For the analysis of movements of people, work equipment and circulation flows, the company's activity and the tasks to be carried out must be taken into account, in order to identify and define all movements necessary for the company to operate.

⚠️ Please note: A new analysis of circulation conditions is mandatory whenever a serious workplace accident or serious occupational illness occurs within the company (Article R4141-8 of the Labour Code).

How should circulation routes be designed?

When designing circulation routes, the employer must take into account the company's needs and comply with the applicable regulations.

Circulation routes must therefore be designed in compliance with the following rules (Article R4214-9 of the Labour Code):

• the layout and dimensions of circulation routes (including fixed stairs and ladders) must comply with fire prevention and evacuation rules;
• pedestrians and vehicles must be able to use circulation routes safely;
• workers employed near circulation routes must not be exposed to danger;
• movement between pedestrians and vehicles must be safe and secure (Article R4224-3 of the Labour Code).

How should the workplace be laid out?

When laying out the workplace, the employer must ensure the company has clearways (doors, corridors, stairs, etc.) enabling rapid, safe evacuation (Article R4227-4 of the Labour Code).

In addition, evacuation routes and clearways must be kept free of any obstacles, suited to the company's headcount, and available in sufficient numbers (Article R4227-5 of the Labour Code):

HEADCOUNT – NUMBER of exits – TOTAL COMBINED WIDTH
Fewer than 20 people: 1 exit – 0.80 m
20 to 100 people: 1 exit – 1.50 m
101 to 300 people: 2 exits – 2 m
301 to 500 people: 2 exits – 2.5 m
Beyond 500 people, exit width must be increased by 50 cm for every additional 100 people, and one additional exit must be added for every additional 500 people.

For the construction of a new building or the fitting-out of an existing building, since 1 January 1993, the project owner must provide the number and width of exits required, as set out in Article R. 4216-8 of the Labour Code.

Circulation routes must also be sufficiently lit (Article R4223-4 of the Labour Code):

PREMISES USED FOR WORK and their outbuildings – MINIMUM lighting levels
Indoor circulation routes: 40 lux
Stairs and warehouses: 60 lux
Workrooms, changing rooms, sanitary facilities: 120 lux
Windowless premises used for permanent work: 200 lux

OUTDOOR AREAS – MINIMUM lighting levels
Outdoor circulation zones and routes: 10 lux
Outdoor areas where permanent work is carried out: 40 lux

What are the rules for movement within a company?

Circulation routes for pedestrians and mobile work equipment

Where a company uses mobile work equipment (forklifts, mobile cranes, aerial work platforms, etc.), the employer must comply with specific regulations to prevent the risk of collisions with pedestrians:

• circulation routes for mobile equipment must be kept free of any obstacles, be of a sufficient size, and have a surface allowing the equipment to move without risk at the speed specified in the instruction manual (Article R4323-50 of the Labour Code);
• near gates used for vehicle movement, pedestrian doors must be installed at a sufficient distance from vehicle circulation routes (Article R4214-12 of the Labour Code and Article R4214-10 of the Labour Code);
• passageways and aisles between work equipment must be in good condition, have a safe surface, and be at least 80 cm wide to allow workers to move around (Article R4323-12 of the Labour Code).

🔍 Focus: New workplaces must guarantee access, movement and evacuation for people with disabilities (Article R4214-26 of the Labour Code).

Signage for movement within the company

In addition to properly laid-out circulation routes, where mobile work equipment moves within a work area, the employer must establish appropriate circulation rules and ensure they are properly applied (Article R4323-51 of the Labour Code).

The order of 4 November 1993 on occupational health and safety signage sets out the characteristics of the signage and signs to be put in place for the movement of mobile work equipment.

This signage does not affect any road, rail or river signage put in place where applicable.

Furthermore, where vehicle traffic within the company is significant, circulation routes must be clearly marked with ground markings in a visible colour (white or yellow, depending on the colour of the ground) (Article R4214-11 of the Labour Code).

Special cases

There are also special cases subject to specific regulations:

• For loading and unloading operations (for example, in the case of a goods delivery to a supermarket), a safety protocol must be put in place (Article R4515-4 of the Labour Code). This safety protocol must in particular set out the safety instructions and circulation instructions (Article R4515-6 of the Labour Code).
• Where truck or vehicle traffic on a construction site is significant, dedicated, marked-out tracks must be laid out for their movement (Article R4534-10 of the Labour Code).
• When using an external company, circulation routes and access routes for workers and vehicles must be indicated during the prior joint inspection (Article R4512-3 of the Labour Code).

How should movement within a company be organised?

Drawing up a circulation plan

To ensure compliance with regulations on movement within the company, it is recommended to draw up a circulation plan.

The circulation plan is drawn up based on the information gathered during the risk assessment, particularly regarding the definition of circulation flows within the company.

This circulation plan takes the form of a diagram of the company and its premises, highlighting the company's circulation flows (generally illustrated as arrows), their organisation and their interactions.

The circulation plan aims to prevent risks linked to movement within the company and optimise movements and travel. When drawing it up, the employer can therefore aim to:

• define priority circulation routes based on the tasks to be carried out or the risks present;
• minimise travel distances;
• simplify crossing points and flow interactions;
• secure movement between pedestrians and vehicles;
• ...

How should employees be trained on movement within the company?

As part of safety training, workers must be trained on circulation conditions within the company (Article R4141-3 of the Labour Code).

Workers must therefore be trained, at a minimum, on (Article R4141-11 of the Labour Code):

• the rules for the movement of vehicles and machinery in the workplace and within the establishment;
• the access routes to the workplace and to staff facilities;
• the emergency exits and clearways to use in the event of an incident;
• evacuation instructions, particularly in the event of an explosion, or accidental release of flammable or toxic gases or liquids, where the nature of the company's activity warrants it.

Key takeaways:

❖   Up to 40% of workplace accidents are attributable to movement within the company;

❖   The company must have clearways for evacuation, and circulation routes that are sufficiently wide and well lit;

❖   Vehicle movement within the company requires specific signage and safety rules;

❖   It is recommended to draw up a circulation plan to best organise movement within the company.