Yes — vehicle recovery businesses are required to carry out suitable and sufficient Risk Assessments under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Recovery work often involves high-risk activities, including roadside operations, vehicle loading, lone working and the use of lifting or towing equipment, so risks must be properly assessed and controlled.
In practice, Risk Assessments help recovery operators identify hazards and implement appropriate safety measures for both planned and emergency call-out situations.
Typical areas covered within vehicle recovery Risk Assessments include:
- Working near live traffic and roadside recovery operations
- Loading, towing and transporting damaged or broken-down vehicles
- Use of winches, lifting equipment and recovery vehicles
- Lone working and out-of-hours call-outs
- Slips, trips and manual handling risks
- Adverse weather conditions and poor visibility
- Vehicle stability during recovery operations
- Use of PPE and high-visibility clothing
Risk Assessments should reflect the type of recovery work being carried out and be reviewed if equipment, procedures or operating environments change.
Vehicle recovery work is highly dynamic, meaning risks can change significantly between different call-outs and locations. Recovery operators are therefore expected to assess conditions on arrival and adapt control measures to the specific environment, vehicle position, traffic conditions and weather at the scene.
You can view the full range of our ‘Recovery Personnel Risk Assessments’ here