SOP-03 Depot & Yard Safety · TBS Driver Resource Hub

1 Quick reference card

This quick reference card is the short version of this SOP. It is one page of the Quick Reference Handbook, the ring of cards in the cab. If you only have 30 seconds, use the card. The full procedure starts below.

🦺

SOP-03 Quick reference

Depot &
Yard Safety

Moving safely in the yard

Side A

Yard Rules – Always

1Hi-vis and closed shoes in all operational areas. Always.
2Use the marked walkways. Never cut between or behind buses – or through workshop areas.
3Obey depot speed limits and all signage.
4No phone while driving in the depot – not even hands-free. Phone in your pocket until you are parked, park brake on, seatbelt off.
5Walk around your bus before moving it. Check nobody is near it.
6Reversing? Use a spotter in high-risk areas. Required at refuelling bays.

Refuelling bays – spotter required

Never reverse into a refuelling bay without a spotter. No exceptions.

Pedestrians first

Moving vehicles give way to people on foot. If you cannot see, stop.

🦺

SOP-03 Quick reference

Depot &
Yard Safety

Rules, checklist & contacts

Side B

Key Rules & Thresholds

PPE in yard

Hi-Vis + Shoes

High-visibility clothing and closed shoes in ALL operational areas.

Reversing

Spotter

Use a spotter in designated high-risk areas – mandatory at refuelling bays.

Phones in yard

Parked Only

Never while the bus moves – not even hands-free. Parked, park brake on, seatbelt off before you tap.

Parking

Marked Bays

Park only in designated areas. Never block exits or equipment.

Before Moving a Bus in the Yard

Hi-vis on, phone away while walking – tap standing still
Walk-around done – no people near the vehicle
Path and mirrors checked
Spotter arranged if reversing in a high-risk area
Speed limit and signage known
Parking bay identified

Contacts

Emergency000

Operations07 3733 3599

2 Purpose

This SOP tells you how to stay safe, and keep others safe, when moving through TBS depots and yards.

3 Applies To

All drivers on TBS services – TBS employees and contracted drivers alike (not the drivers of self-managed operators, who follow their own procedures) – in any depot, yard, workshop area, wash bay, refuelling area or parking area, on foot or driving. Closure staging sites are TBS depots: the same rules apply. Steps marked Supervisor are performed by the on-duty supervisor.

4 Yard Rules – These Always Apply

These rules apply to everyone, every time, in every TBS depot and yard.

✓Wear hi-vis clothing and closed shoes in all operational areas

✓Use marked pedestrian walkways – never cut between or behind buses

✓Obey depot speed limits, line markings and all signage

✓Stay out of exclusion zones and away from reversing vehicles

✓Park only in designated areas

✓No phone while the bus moves in the depot – not even hands-free. Parked, park brake on, seatbelt off first

✓Doing the PTI on your phone? Phone in your pocket while you walk. Tap each zone standing still, clear of the lanes – never while walking; in the seat only with the park brake on and the seatbelt off

✓Smoke only in designated outdoor smoking areas

✓Workshop and bodyshop areas: authorised entry only – never walk through them as a shortcut

✓Report traffic hazards and near misses in Mitti – Hazard Report or Incident Report (SOP-06)

5 Step-by-Step Procedure

Three situations cover most yard movements. Follow the one that matches.

Situation 1Moving Through the Yard on Foot Situation 2Moving a Bus in the Yard Situation 3Refuelling AlwaysReport Hazards

Situation 1 – Moving Through the Yard on Foot

1
Driver Put on hi-vis before entering any operational area.
2
Driver Use the marked walkways. Make eye contact with drivers before crossing vehicle routes.

3
Driver Never walk behind a bus that has its engine running or reverse lights on.

Assume they cannot see you

Buses have large blind spots. If you cannot see the driver’s mirrors, the driver cannot see you.

Situation 2 – Moving a Bus in the Yard

4
Driver Walk around the bus first. Check no person, vehicle or object is close to it.
5
Driver Keep to the depot speed limit on the signs – never above it. Give way to pedestrians – always.
6
Driver Reversing in a high-risk area? Use a spotter. Agree hand signals before you start. Stop immediately if you lose sight of the spotter.

Refuelling bays

Never reverse into a refuelling bay without a spotter. No exceptions – the TBS rule applies even where a site does not ask for one.

7
Driver Park in designated areas only. Never block emergency exits, fire equipment or other vehicles.

Situation 3 – Refuelling

8
Driver Engine off. No smoking, no phone, no ignition sources anywhere near the bay.
9
Driver Wear gloves when refuelling.

10
Driver Spill? Stop. Do not drive through it. Use the spill kit if you are trained. Tell Operations at once (07 3733 3599), then report it in Mitti as a Hazard Report (SOP-06).

11
Supervisor Respond to reported spills and traffic hazards. Arrange clean-up; the Hazard Report is handled as in SOP-06.

Always – Report Hazards

12
Driver See a traffic hazard? Report it in Mitti as a Hazard Report as soon as you can. Near miss? Report it in Mitti as an Incident Report before the end of your shift. Follow SOP-06.

Reporting is protected

You will never be disadvantaged for reporting a hazard or a near miss. Serious incident? Call 000 first.

On rail replacement services

Closure staging sites are set up as temporary TBS depots. Every rule in this SOP applies there exactly as it does in the yard.

6 Associated Forms & Tools

Item	What it is used for
Hazard Report (Mitti)	For traffic hazards in the yard – in Mitti on your phone or tablet. Near misses: Incident Report.
Hi-vis + gloves	Hi-vis in all operational areas; gloves when refuelling.
Spill kit	At refuelling bays and wash bays. Use only if trained.

Where do I find these forms?SOP-14 · The Forms and Reports – Your Shift, Start to Finish

7 Related SOPs

SOP	Title	Why it matters here
SOP-02	Pre-Shift: Pre-Trip Inspection (PTI)	Done in the yard – these rules apply during it.
SOP-06	Incident, Accident & Hazard Reporting	How to report yard hazards and near misses.
SOP-11	Post-Shift: Vehicle Handover	Parking and securing the vehicle at end of shift.

8 Related Policies

These TBS policies are the source of this SOP. They carry the full rules and the legal detail.

Policy	What it covers
TBS Traffic Management Policy	Depot traffic rules, walkways, exclusion zones, spotters, speed limits.
TBS Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Policy	Hi-vis, closed shoes, gloves for refuelling.
TBS Workplace Health & Safety Policy	Hazard reporting, general duty of care.
TBS Smoking Policy	Designated smoking areas only.
TBS Workshop & Bodyshop Policy	Authorised-entry-only rule for workshop and bodyshop areas.

§ Version Control

Version	Date	Author	Approved by	Summary of changes
1.0	8 September 2026	Buswise	TBS approved	First issue.

Driver acknowledgement of this SOP is recorded in Mitti: the combined SOP document (SOP-01 to SOP-14) is acknowledged once, at onboarding, in Mitti Training.