Legal warning for fleets failing driver first aid duty of care

Employers could face prosecution if they fail to ensure first aid training for staff who drive for work, a new national road safety campaign has warned.

The Driving Down Inequality campaign, launched by not-for-profit organisation Driver First Assist (DFA), highlights disparities in health and safety provision between office-based employees and those working on the road – particularly professional drivers and grey fleet drivers (those using their own vehicles for work purposes).

While staff at fixed sites often benefit from formal first aid training and immediate access to support in an emergency, many mobile workers do not receive the same consideration.

David Higginbottom, Driver First Assist chief executive, said: “Employers have a legal and moral duty to protect their people, wherever they work.

“If you wouldn’t leave a warehouse or office team without first aid support, why is it considered acceptable for drivers?”

Roads remain UK’s most dangerous workplace

The campaign comes as statistics continue to show the scale of the issue.

On average, five people are killed and hundreds are injured on UK roads each day.

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), around one in three road deaths and one in five serious injuries involve someone driving for work.

The HSE’s guidance ‘Driving and Riding Safely for Work’ states that employers must assess the health and safety capabilities and competence of their workers – a requirement that applies equally to those who operate off-site.

However, campaigners say many organisations have not implemented adequate systems to ensure this applies to driving roles, either due to oversight or a lack of awareness.

Beverley Bell, former senior traffic commissioner for Great Britain, backed the call for change. “Companies have a duty to train their employees and ensure they are competent and safe to carry out their role. If you employ drivers, the same applies,” she said.

“Work-related road safety is still not given the same gravitas as on-site safety. Given that driving is the highest-risk activity most people do in their job roles, this baffles me.”

Calls grow for mandatory first aid training for all at-work drivers

Alison Moriarty, fleet safety specialist and managing director at Beverley Bell Consulting and Training, added: “Driving is a work activity; not ensuring your drivers are safe and legal exposes you to the same potential prosecutions as any other health and safety breach.”

The campaign is calling on the HSE to produce more specific guidance around driver competence and first aid, and for legal reform to make first response training a standard requirement for all at-work drivers.

Some public sector organisations, including National Highways and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, have already implemented first aid training for drivers.

The campaign aims to encourage wider adoption of such practices across the sector.

Higginbottom added: “We want to see equality in workplace safety. Drivers deserve the same protection and training as anyone else.”

Read how driver engagement is key to a successful risk and compliance policy.