Driving at Work

Up to a third of all road traffic accidents involve somebody who is at work at the time. And they result in more than 20 fatalities and 250 serious injuries every week.

Some employers believe, incorrectly, that provided they comply with certain road traffic law requirements, e.g. company vehicles have a valid MOT certificate, and that drivers hold a valid licence, this is enough to ensure the safety of their employees, and others, 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 HSE guidance applies to any employer, manager or supervisor with staff who drive, or ride a motorcycle or bicycle at work, and in particularly those with responsibility for fleet management. It also applies to self-employed people.

It covers people whose main job is driving, and those who drive or ride occasionally or for short distances. References to drivers and driving include riders and riding.

The leaflet suggests ways to manage the risk to drivers’ health and safety. Companies with large goods vehicles (LGV) or passenger service vehicles (PSV) may also be subject to specific legislative requirements that take precedence over the general advice given here.

Many incidents happen due to inattention and distraction as well as failure to observe the Highway Code. You need to consider what steps you should take to ensure that your employees use the road as safely as possible.

BENEFITS OF MANAGING WORK-RELATED ROAD SAFETY

The true costs of accidents to organisations are nearly always higher than just the costs of repairs and insurance claims.

The consequences of an accident on the self-employed and small businesses are likely to be proportionately greater than on a larger business with greater resources. The benefits to you from managing work-related road safety can be considerable, no matter the size of your business.

Firstly, it allows you to exercise better control over costs, such as wear and tear and fuel, insurance premiums and legal fees and claims from employees and third parties.
It also allows you to make informed decisions about matters such as driver training and vehicle purchase, and helps you identify where health and safety improvements can be made.

Case studies and research have shown that benefits from managing work-related road safety and reducing crashes include:

• fewer days lost due to injury
• reduced risk of work-related ill health
• reduced stress and improved morale
• less need for investigation and paperwork
• less lost time due to work rescheduling
• fewer vehicles off the road for repair
• reduced running costs through better driving standards
• fewer missed orders and business opportunities so reduced risk of losing the goodwill of customers
• less chance of key employees being banned from driving, e.g. as a result of points on their licences.

Promoting sound health and safety driving practices and a good safety culture at work may well spill over into private driving, which could reduce the chances of staff being injured in a crash outside work.