'Too many fleets do not put any health and safety policies into place until it is too late,' says Lennox.

Yet introducing a policy doesn't have to be complex.

Fleets of any size should keep their policy simple, involve staff and make sure the system is fully implemented.

'It can be too easy to say that because there have been no incidents reported, no action is necessary. You may simply have been lucky up until now,' reckons Lennox. 'A full review of what is going on in the fleet can be enhanced by input from the sharp end. Involve your staff in the review and get them to share their ideas on where they see potential risks.

'Nobody understands the day-to-day issues and challenges that they face better than they do. It might just be that they throw up something you have overlooked, or were not aware of,' he adds.

The most basic fleet policies should cover vehicle safety, maintenance, driver awareness, training and operational safety.

But implementing a system is not enough for fleet directors to know that it is effective. They need to carry out robust audits on a regular basis.

'Keep good records and act on reviews, measuring progress through simple trend analysis and benchmarking. More importantly, make sure the results are made clear to those they affect. This way, people can see that action is being taken and know where they or their unit fit into the system.'

Audits should be done according to the type of business and size of the fleet. On average, this should be every three to six months.

'The audits should be carried out by an independent person. It can be useful to have fresh eyes looking at the operation. Make sure there is an audit trail that has all the important things documented and where you can prove that everything has been done to prevent an incident,' says Lennox. 'Also ensure you have a process of continuous improvement. This makes good sense in terms of safety and business.'

Once a health and safety policy has been introduced, the fleet manager must ensure drivers adhere to it.

It is vital to have good management systems in place, monitor the policy through audits and relay information back to staff and managers.

It can be a burden for fleets to get employees who use their own vehicle for business mileage, or have purchased a vehicle under a cash-for-car scheme, to comply with health and safety regulations.

But Lennox believes private car drivers should be treated the same as company car drivers.

'The company gives them an allowance and they drive on company business. A company cannot abdicate its responsibility just because it doesn't own the asset. The cash-for-car option is a good thing to have on the menu, but it does need to be managed,' he says.

Fleet managers need to ensure key rules are written into contracts to ensure health and safety regulations are complied with. These should include minimum vehicle standards, required insurance levels, licence checks, regular servicing, safety check records, age of vehicle and recovery and breakdown arrangements.

By adopting a thorough health and safety policy, fleets will be adequately covered in the event of an accident and regular audits will minimise the risk of prosecution.

Those who fail to introduce policies risk losing or injuring an employee, and ultimately a fine or prison sentence.

Lennox said: 'The worst that could happen is that someone gets killed or seriously injured.

'The implications are profound. The wider impact on the business and its directors and managers, moves us into the area of culpability. Questions will be asked as to whether an accident could have been prevented; if systems were in place or not; and whether these were being managed properly or ignored.'

In addition, there's the possibility of civil litigation.

To summarise, Lennox said it is vital for fleets to:

To name and shame or not

Some industry figures have backed naming and shaming techniques for drivers not complying with policies. John Lewis, director general of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) suggested last year that drivers continually racking up penalties for parking and congestion charge fines should be named and shamed. (Fleet NewsNet, November 13, 2003).

But Lennox doesn't think that this hardline approach would work with all drivers who fail to comply with their company's health and safety policies.

He says: 'I don't believe fines work. They might even discourage people from participating in the proper reporting of incidents. All occurrences should be out in the open and dealt with to prevent any recurrence.'

Issues to consider when introducing a fleet policy