Today we are looking at the issue of driving a vehicle on the public highway for work, in particular a company car.
Road safety should be treated as simply another duty of a businesses health & safety.
Work related driving should be risk assessed in the same way as any other work related activity. This will allow the employer to establish suitable arrangements for controlling the risk.
As always, a risk assessment can be broken down into five steps:
- Identify the hazards
- Identify the people who might be harmed
- Evaluate the risks
- Record findings
- Review
When evaluating the risks for driving at work, here at SECC we would advise breaking these down into three key areas:
The driver:
- Competency
- Fitness and health
- Training
The vehicle:
- Suitability
- Condition
- Safety equipment
- Safety-critical information
- Ergonomic considerations
The journey:
- Routes
- Scheduling
- Sufficient time
- Weather conditions
Control measures
So now that you have identified the risks from driving at work. What can you do to minimise them? Again, lets break them down into the three key areas:
The driver:
- Competency – drivers should hold relevant driving licences which should be also be re-checked periodically to ensure validity.
- Fitness & health – drivers may have to undergo a medical examination and be passed fit to drive. Drivers eye-sight might need to be checked.
- Training – Drivers may have to undertake specific training of safe driving
The vehicle:
- Suitability – the vehicle must be suitable for its intended purpose.
- Condition – The vehicle must be in a roadworthy condition. Vehicles should be routinely maintained and inspected prior to use.
- Safety equipment – the vehicle should carry suitable safety equipment, e.g. seat belts, air bags, head restraints etc.
- Safety-critical information – certain information must be understood by the driver, e.g. tyre pressure, headlight adjustment etc.
- Ergonomic considerations – adjustability of seat position and driver posture to achieve comfort.
The journey:
- Routes – route planning allows for hazards to be avoided and risks minimised
- Scheduling – scheduling journeys at the right time of day
- Time – allowing sufficient time for the journey
- Distance – travel distances must be reasonable
- Weather conditions – weather forecasts and adverse weather conditions must be taken into account when journey planning and travelling.
We hope that the above gives you a good place in which to start improving how you go about driving at work. If you require help in drafting a risk assessment for driving at work or any other health & safety topic, then please do not hesitate to get in touch with us as our experts will be able to guide you through your needs,