A Business Driving Toolkit has been created by Essential Risk Consultancy (ERC) and RoadSafe.

The Toolkit provides an online assessment that allows organisations to audit their company risk profile for at-work drivers. It then creates detailed action plans tailored to the specific business and prioritising the employee and fleet issues that need to be dealt with first.

David Faithful, lawyer for ERC, comments: “The Toolkit answers a very specific need. Most organisations have invested in employee-led solutions, but the law requires a company-level assessment. We want to see best practice in every organisation leading to a reduction of at least five percent in road accidents involving at-work drivers.”

Adrian Walsh, director of Roadsafe and the Driving for Better Business campaign, adds: “A third of road traffic crashes involve business drivers. Managing that risk is often left to fleet managers and the people element is ignored.

“We want HR and senior management to get involved and the Toolkit is an easy way for them to understand what needs to be done and communicate it to their employees. Businesses don’t want to get bogged down in legislation so we have made it simple to comply.”

Walsh said “The campaign, particularly through the ‘business champions’, has promoted a very clear business case that the good management of people delivers improved efficiency, reduces cost and makes the organisation for which they work safer and more sustainable.

“Earlier this year we promised that as the campaign moved into a new phase we would be involved in the development of a variety of mechanisms to enable businesses to promote best practice in the ‘safe driving at work’ arena. The Toolkit is the first of those to be launched.”

The Toolkit includes:

• Comprehensive, regularly updated legal/policy libraries with free downloadable legal opinion and policy documentation
• A full risk assessment audit
• Guidance for directors and managers detailing their individual responsibilities
• Bespoke action plans and performance targets
• Employee communication plans
• Benchmarking tools so firms can see how well they’re doing compared to other businesses
• A Return on Investment monitor to track the savings being made

The Toolkit creates a full audit trail that exceeds health and safety requirements and ensures businesses are fully compliant legally. Managing that risk also protects employees and saves money due to fewer traffic accidents, fewer employees injured and lower vehicle repair costs.

Faithful continues: “The UK’s first corporate manslaughter prosecution earlier this year highlights how important it is for businesses to understand and manage the risks involved in employees who drive for work.

“The Toolkit walks you through the risk management process one step at a time and means you don’t have to be an expert to understand the legal issues. It also highlights savings, ensuring HR and fleet managers can go to the board with a clear business case for dealing with road risk.

“Anyone whose business hasn’t dealt with this issue yet should ask their MDs how familiar they are with the risk they are personally carrying. Investing in the Toolkit carries a low cost in time and money but neglecting the issue can lead to huge problems.”