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Principal contractors

Principal contractors have responsibility for the construction and/or operation of a site, procuring supplies and services that require vehicle deliveries, and are responsible for health and safety beyond the hoardings as well as on site.

For a principal contractor, CLOCS provides a common national standard to ensure construction vehicles and drivers servicing their sites present zero risk of harm to the workforce and community.

A consistent and collaborative approach to construction logistics planning is vital if construction activity is to be conducted safely with minimal risk to vulnerable road users and reduced impact on local communities.

Principal contractors can manage the risks and create efficiencies across their internal operations by joining CLOCS and operating in line with the CLOCS Standard.

Adopting and implementing CLOCS will help:

  • manage the impact of construction vehicle activity and the associated risk, protecting vulnerable road users within communities
  • improve site operations through a robust gate check process and proper assessments of ground conditions
  • reduce congestion and associated environmental impacts through smarter logistics planning
  • reduce complaints from those affected by construction traffic and boost local community satisfaction by providing safer streets for all
  • reduce workloads, save resources and provide consistency in construction logistics planning.

Through our collaborations with CLOCS, FORS and the supply chain, we have developed an extended culture that manages our risk to ensure we protect the lives and wellbeing of all vulnerable road users

— Martin Orrells, General Manager, Procurement & Supply Chain Management, Costain

Becoming a CLOCS Champion provides:

  • a construction road safety standard already adopted by many of the UK’s largest clients, developers, contractors and fleet operators
  • access to vital resources and support including guides, templates, case studies and training
  • being part of an ever-growing community of like-minded organisations with access to member meetings, working groups and online safety forums

Adopting and implementing CLOCS

The CLOCS Standard defines the primary requirements placed upon the key stakeholders associated with a construction project and places responsibilities and duties on the regulator, the client, the principal contractor controlling the construction site and the supply chain including the operator of any road-going vehicles servicing that project.

The CLOCS Standard outlines specific requirement for a principal contractor as follows:

  • ensure the project’s potential impact on the community has been properly risk-assessed
  • develop and/or implement the agreed CLP and ensure it remains suitable and sufficient
  • procure site and fleet operations that comply to the requirements of the CLOCS Standard
  • ensure site arrangements enable the safest fleet operations including but not limited to, ‘last mile’ routing, level access/egress, stable loading/unloading areas, effective delivery management systems and competent site access traffic marshals
  • ensure effective and efficient site access gate checks of construction logistics vehicles and their drivers to ensure they always comply to the CLOCS Standard. Non-compliances must be immediately risk-assessed, appropriately mitigated and addressed through procurement processes
  • ensure effective independent monitoring of the project’s compliance with the CLOCS Standard is undertaken approximately every 6 months and appropriate action taken to address non-compliance
  • obtain annual collisions and emissions performance information, and where appropriate, obtain a credible improvement plan

Useful resources

Anyone new to CLOCS should take a look at the getting started page for guidance on how best to adopt and implement CLOCS within their operations.

A number of resources are available to contractors:

  • our introduction to CLPs page outlines how construction logistics plans provide an efficient and effective way to plan vehicle movements, reduce risks to vulnerable road users, manage costs and certainty of programme.
  • CLP training is delivered online, throughout the year, to help educate and inform delegates on the value of CLPs, the mechanics of develpoping and implementing one, and how to calculate vehcile movements throughout the life of the project.
  • introduce CLOCS gate checks to ensure fleet compliance and provide quality assurance.
  • implementing CLOCS monitoring helps contractors establish their level of performance against the CLOCS requirements and offers the chance of independent verification by a third-party assessor.
  • consolidation centres provide an opportunity to improve operational efficiency leading to reduced delays and congestion, as well as improved safety.

Additionally, CLOCS Champion Contractors are invited to join a CLOCS Contractor Working Group made up of peers and colleagues from across the contractor community to develop a closer relationship with CLOCS, helping drive strategy and standards, and access knowledge, insights and expertise from others in the same role facing the same challenges.

Joining the CLOCS community

If you are ready to join the CLOCS community, your first step is to register to become a CLOCS Champion.

All Champions are party to a Memorandum of Understanding which should be reviewed to understand the commitment and engagement expected.

Click here to register with CLOCS

Case studies

Mulalley & Co Ltd: Raising road safety standards

CLOCS Champion Mulalley is a leading contractor for construction, development, refurbishment and maintenance and is at the forefront of innovation.

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Costain: Managing road risk

CLOCS Champion Costain outline who they have embraced and embedded a cukture of road safety across their business.

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OnSite Support PLUS helps reduce the number of deliveries to site

When Willmott Dixon Construction launched their Now or Never and Our Decisive Decade Strategies, to work towards a BETTER PLANET.

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