Background to Fleet Training
Does your company have company cars? Do your staff use their cars to go to other places to carry out work on behalf of your company? Do you want to find a way of reducing fleet maintenance costs ,or are you concerned about rising fuel prices reducing your profits?
The Department for Transport and the HSE have estimated that up to a third of all road traffic collisions involve somebody who is at work. This translates into 20 fatalities and 250 serious injuries every week. Some employers mistakenly believe that it is sufficient to ensure that providing cars that comply with road traffic law, eg company vehicles have a current MOT certificate and that the employee has a driving licence, is sufficient to ensure the safety of their employees , and other road users, when they are on the road. However, health and safety law applies to on the road work activities as to all work activities, and the risks should be effectively managed within a health and safety management system.
This applies to any employer,manager or supervisor with staff who drive or ride a motorcycle or bicycle at work and in particular those with responsibility for fleet management. The fleet also includes any personal cars that the employees use when out on company business. It also covers the self employed, and people whose main job is driving and those who drive or ride occasionally or for short distances.
Many incidents happen due to inattention and distraction as well as a failure to observe the Highway Code. Your employee’s may not have read the Highway Code since they passed their driving test. You need to consider what steps you should take to ensure your employees use the roads as safely as possible.
Are you aware……?
To comply with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, employers have a statutory duty to ensure that to ensure the Health, Safety and Welfare of all employees which includes any driving work.
More recent legislation has tightened the definition of driving work to include the time taken to drive between jobs. In addition the 2006 Companies act , made the the directors of all companies legally responsible for the actions of their employees, with severe fines and jail sentences for those found guilty of corporate manslaughter.
- On average 65% of all company vehicles will be involved in a road incident within the next 12 months
- Drivers who cover more than 20,000 miles per annum have a 1 in 8,000 chance of having a serious or fatal collision
- More than 30 people per week are killed on the UK’s roads every week.
- Police treat the scene of a fatal road collision as a Crime Scene as it is now treated as an ‘Unlawful Killing’s
- If a company’s lack of action is deemed to have contributed to a road insistent, then company representatives may be charged with manslaughter.
- Four times more people are killed whilst driving than any other industrial accident.
- Average Vehicle Repair costs, following a traffic incident vary between £750 and £4,500
Benefits
There have been case studies and research that have shown conclusively that the benefits to be derived from having an effectively managed work related road safety policy include:
- Reduced collisions
- Fewer days lost through due to industry
- Reduced risk of work related ill health due to injury
- Reduced stress
- Improved staff morale
- Fewer vehicles off the road for repair
- Reduced vehicle maintenance costs.
- Reduced running costs due to higher driving standards
- Less chance of key employees being banned from driving, as a result of points on their licence or ill health due to injury.
Your Legal Responsibilities
These requirements are in addition to the duties you have as an employer under road traffic law, which are administered by the police and the DVSA.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 requires employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of all employees while at work. You also have a responsibility to ensure that others are not put at risk by your work related driving activities. Self employed people have similar responsibilities to that of employers.
Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, you have a responsibility to manage health and safety effectively. You need to carry out an assessment of the risks to the health and safety of your employees, while they are at work, and to other people who may be affected by their work activities. The regulations require you to periodically review your assessment so that it remains appropriate.
Health and Safety law does not apply to commuting, unless the employees travelling from their home to a location that is not their normal place of work.
What should I do?
The first thing is to contact Aspect Driving Academy where we can advise you on the first steps you should take, in order to start protecting both your staff and your company.
We will review your current systems relating to driver safety issues and make recommendations if it necessary to improve your internal systems.
Call Campbell on 07983 555600 to initiate a review.