8.7 Work-Related Driving

Managing work-related driving

Employers cannot control hazards for employees driving or riding on the road as they can in the workplace, but there are practical steps they should take to reduce the risks. Work-related road safety can be controlled effectively only if it is built into the arrangements for managing health and safety at work.

A Plan, Do, Check, Act approach can help achieve this. Here are examples of how it applies to work-related road safety.

Plan. Describe how you manage health and safety in your organisation and plan to make it happen in practice.

• Assess the risks from work-related road safety in the organisation.
• Produce a health and safety policy that covers, for example, organising journeys, driver training and vehicle maintenance.
• Make sure there is top-level commitment to work-related road safety.
• Set out clearly everyone's roles and responsibilities for it. Those responsible should have enough authority to exert influence and be able to communicate effectively with drivers and others.

Do. Prioritise and control your risks, consult your employees and provide training and information.

• Make sure departments with different responsibilities for work-related road safety cooperate with each other.
• Have adequate systems to manage work-related road safety effectively. For example, make sure vehicles are regularly inspected and serviced according to the manufacturer's recommendations.
• Involve workers or their representatives in decisions. This is a good way to talk to them about health and safety.
• Provide training and instruction where necessary.

Check. Measure how you are doing.

• Monitor performance to make sure the work-related road safety policy is effective and has been put into practice.
• Encourage employees to report all work-related road incidents.

Act. Review your performance and learn from experience.

• Collect enough information to make informed decisions about the effectiveness of the existing policy and the need for change, for example by targeting those most exposed to risk.
• Revisit the health and safety policy regularly to see if it needs updating.

Work-related driving control measures

Control measures for safe work-related driving cover the driver, the vehicle and the journey.

Safe driver

• provide adequate training and refresher training for all drivers
• reassess drivers at regular intervals
• make sure all drivers are supervised, including those visiting the site
• assess fitness to drive for the role, including fatigue, relevant health conditions and medicines, with competent occupational-health advice where needed
• provide high-visibility clothing and suitable protective clothing, such as steel toe-capped boots and hard hats
• make sure drivers hold the licence required by the legislation that applies

Safe vehicle

• make sure vehicles suit the purpose for which they are used
• keep vehicles in good repair, particularly brakes, steering, tyres, lights, mirrors and specific safety systems
• remove the need for people to climb onto vehicles where possible, for example by providing gauges and controls reachable from ground level
• do not overload vehicles, and secure all loads so they cannot fall during travel
• reduce the risk of falling when people must climb onto a vehicle or trailer, by providing well-built ladders, non-slip walkways and guard rails where possible
• provide reversing aids such as a reversing camera where appropriate
• fit rollover protective structures and use seat belts where fitted
• keep a regular and documented inspection and maintenance regime

Safe journey

• define your route
• think about the timing of the journey and how busy the roads will be
• set a realistic work schedule that allows enough time to complete the journey safely
• allow for unexpected delays
• identify hazardous spots on the route
• consider the route options and the different types of road
• schedule journeys carefully to avoid night driving and the times of day when falling asleep is most likely, between 2 am and 6 am
• take account of road hazards and weather conditions
• plan when and where to take rests
• know what to do in an emergency
• keep to the legal restrictions on driving times and distances

Summary notes for Element 8 · Cheat sheet · Glossary. A study aid, not published or endorsed by NEBOSH.