Lawnswood Roundabout (Leeds City Council) Eric Wright Civil Eng
Understand how behavioural safety is supporting Leeds City Council's Vision Zero commitment on this high-risk junction, protecting both the workforce and the public while delivering critical infrastructure improvements that enhance community safety and reduce long term societal costs.
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Location: Leeds, West Yorkshire
Client: Leeds City Council
Principal Contractor: Eric Wright Civils
Contract Value: £13,000,000.00
Duration: 12 months
Scope: A behavioural based approach to safety management, compliance and site safety surveys.
Project Description
Every day, nearly 50,000 vehicles use Lawnswood roundabout in north Leeds as part of their daily commute. It is one of the city's busiest junctions and historically, one of its most dangerous.
Between 2020 and 2024, the roundabout recorded 25 injuries, including six serious incidents. For Leeds City Council, this was not just a traffic flow problem; it was a safety crisis that demanded a fundamental redesign.
The resulting 12-month scheme represents a flagship project under Leeds City council's Vision Zero ambition which is a commitment to eliminate all traffic related deaths and serious injuries on Leeds roads by 2040.
The Challenge
Transforming a live, high‑volume junction while keeping traffic moving and local businesses accessible is a logistical challenge but the real challenge ran deeper than cones and diversions during work activities.
The project demanded a shift in mindset. Not just for the travelling public, but for the construction workforce on the ground. With complex temporary traffic management, multiple work fronts, and the constant presence of live traffic, how to achieve zero incidents was going to take more than physical barriers.
Eric Wright Civils needed a safety partner who could do more than write safety management documentation, they needed someone who could work with the inhouse safety management team and someone who could embed a genuine, proactive safety culture among the site teams, ensuring that every worker felt empowered to spot hazards and speak up before incidents occurred.
A tick box approach to safety would never deliver Vision Zero.
The Solution
Yorkshire Health and Safety was engaged to work alongside Eric Wright Civil Engineering, the principal contractor, to implement a behavioural based safety (BBS) approach across the entire construction phase.
Rather than relying solely on procedural paperwork, the project required a collaborative culture where every worker was empowered to identify risks, reinforce positive behaviours, and take real ownership of site safety.
Our Support Included:
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Embedding a behavioural based safety framework that moves beyond compliance to create genuine, peer‑to‑peer safety engagement on the ground.
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Empowering site teams with the confidence and authority to intervene proactively, stopping work when necessary and flagging emerging risks before they escalate.
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Strengthening CDM 2015 compliance through collaborative working, ensuring that the principal contractor's systems were supported by a human centred safety.
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Facilitating open communication channels between Principal Contractor, contractors, and the local community.
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Providing ongoing on‑site support to supervisors and operatives, reinforcing dynamic risk assessment and positive safety behaviours.
The Results:
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A collaborative safety culture quickly took hold on site, with operatives at all levels proactively identifying and heading off risks before they materialise into incidents.
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The scheme continued to progress safely through its 12‑month construction phase, with no reportable incidents despite the complexity of working on a live, high volume junction.
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Leeds City Council has seen its Vision Zero ambitions translated into practical, on the ground action, with the Lawnswood scheme serving as a benchmark for future infrastructure projects.
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Local residents and businesses have benefited from clear, consistent communication channels, reducing friction and maintaining community goodwill throughout the works.
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The project demonstrates how behavioural safety can complement engineering controls, creating a safer environment for both the workforce and the travelling public.
“Yorkshire health and Safety worked alongside our site teams to build a culture where everyone feels responsible for safety.”
Representative, Eric Wright Civil Engineering (Principal Contractor)