HSE People - Health and Safety Community

The importance of having an up to date “Driving at Work Management System in place is getting crutial by the day as legislation dictates that we must protect our businesses from the few.

One of the biggest issues we face as human beings is our attitude to certain protocols in life, for instance how many times have we heard someone at work or within our business say;

“It’s not my job”        or       “It won’t happen to me”

It never ceases to amaze me at times that a large proportion of employees will pass the buck by assuming you are responsible when an incident happens. It is all too easy to lay the blame at somebody else’s doorstep and it could be yours if you are not careful, it’s called human conditioning. 

Health & Safety isn’t a sexy subject, and before you doze off, as it always happens when we talk about Health & Safety especially compounded with vehicles being a very emotive subject then I am onto a loser before I start!

We need to take a hard look at the management systems that we have in place, because, as the legislation gets tighter and resultant fines from breaches being like telephone numbers. Can we afford not to take action and be responsible 100% of the time whether that is from an employer, employee, sub contractor or volunteer perspective?

So how do you protect everyone in your business? The answer is easy; communicate with everyone in a manner that gets the message across, without alienating them or yourself into the bargain.

It is funny; when we use the word “communicate” we tend to clam up and are not sure where to start.

Get a pad and pen out and let me ask you; when someone whom you employ or engage to do work for you, drives on behalf of your organisation.  Do you see or think of areas that can eat into your profit? If so write them down and address it.

For instance a van livered up with your name pristine and proudly displayed and the driver is either doing something or a number of things all at the same time. Such as using a mobile phone, smoking, speeding, hand gestures or even parked irresponsibly. You may even class these as minor issues. But they can dent your reputation without you knowing about it until it is too late. Would you purchase food from a baker when the driver delivering the goods has been seen smoking in the cab?  or would you recommend a plumber, joiner or an electrician if they cut you up and started giving gestures out the window?, I know I wouldn’t and perhaps now I have maybe started you thinking.

No matter what business you are in and are using vehicles, you run the risk of lost sales revenue by the actions of a few. Now we all need sales to keep the business going it is our life blood.

Take speeding & mobile phone issues and a minimum 3 points on the drivers licence as a result, what will this do to your insurance renewal? The driver has a risk of losing their licence with totting up of points? What is your policy for reporting this?

With businesses going through difficult times, can you really afford to eat into what profit you may have?

Now let’s look at the worst case scenario and the driver has caused or is involved in an incident. If a fatality has occurred the police will treat it the same way as a murder and you better hope that you have a fully auditable management system in place to protect you which will stand up to close scrutiny.  

Examples above will have a cost; however fines for serious breaches could put you out of business unless you have money stashed under the mattress so to speak and you don’t need to own the vehicle.

What will the cost be if you have to replace an employee who was injured, died or even sent to prison because of the incident. Now I hear you say the dreaded words “That won’t happen to us” It could, how do you know as it only takes a lapse of concentration. Oh, and what about all the adverse publicity, fine and the time it drags out as it could be a few years before it is heard in court if you are deemed negligent.

Putting your house in order isn’t rocket science and you have three choices.

1.      Engage a company to help you install a proper management system.

This will allow you to get your house in order correctly using the expertise available.

2.      Do it yourself or have someone in your organisation do it.

Understanding what is required may eat into more resources than you realise and the person needs to be competent and have an understanding of what is required.

3.      Continue as you are.

This isn’t an option, if you have something in place get it reviewed, otherwise you may well be in a false position. If you are not sure what you have in place get it checked out now as it could be the best decision you have made.

These options have cost implications; the most expensive will only come to light when you have an incident. The big question is can you afford to take the chance? Safety isn’t a cost option, it is a necessary option as the:

“Unexpected will always happen when you least expect it too!”

Everyone is responsible in some way or another for Health & Safety whether it be their own, their colleagues or anyone else they come into contact with.But how is the communicated by your business?

Don't let legislation DRIVE you mad!

Over the past few years we have seen major changes in Health & Safety Legislation with Duty of Care, Corporate Manslaughter & Homicide Act, European Time Directive, and lately the Health & Safety at Work Offences Act are phrases we are all too familiar with I’m sure, with many articles published on these subjects. Where will it end? Do you understand it all? Unfortunately it will end right on the door step of the business and more than likely the individual director or manager responsible for this area if you have not taken steps to make sure responsibility is directed to where it should be. There are not many businesses today that do not rely on motor vehicles in one form or another as part of their business activities; therefore almost all businesses will be affected.

For instance when someone starts in the factory, do you assume that they can operate the machinery they will be working on? Of course not, as you will be asking for trouble should anything happen. Then why do most businesses allow a vehicle to be used by an employee or contractor without checking the competence and compatibility of the driver and safety of the vehicle without proper Risk Assessments and checks being carried out?

Risks arising from vehicle use, need to be assessed and a Policies & Procedures management control system put in place to measure and control this area of any business that uses vehicles on behalf of their working activities.

It is getting harder by the day to manage occupational road risks and the question is how are you doing it at the moment? Not sure? Then you need to get your system checked and up to date as ignorance is not a defence should you be in the unfortunate position of an incident occurring. There are endless questions that you could ask to qualify the previous question, and it will no doubt alert you to the risks involved. However, what excuse will you make when faced with possible prosecution regarding an incident with a vehicle that one of your employees or contractors used while on your company business? Will your policy and procedure document withstand close scrutiny? Don't be under the illusion that the company vehicle / employee handbook you have issued over the years will be sufficient; you will actually require a comprehensive policy and procedure document that covers every aspect of the individuals’ responsibilities who are working on your behalf.

The lack of urgency that many businesses put on the issues raised above is amazing. There seems to be an element of fear in any proposed changes, an uncertainty of how it will affect the business, and who is supposed to be in charge of what and who makes the final decision compounded by cost implications, it is easy to see why this area is often neglected. However, could you afford an accident or investigation, or lose a key member of your operation and all the costs involved in replacing them? Putting in a management system will actually help reduce your costs in the long term.

There is no right or wrong way to procure or manage your fleet as every business is different. You know your business better than anyone, so find a company who will listen to you and give you what you require with flexibility to offer a full package of services could be best for you in the long run as they tend to be totally independent. They can offer impartial advice and bespoke the services to the businesses' specific requirements and, most important of all, allow you to stay in control by working with you.
Those individuals who drive as part of their employment are five times more likely to be killed at work than any other industrial accident. By introducing occupational road risk assessments, training and having better communication can reduce this dramatically.

Graham Primrose of Fleet Management Solutions (UK) Ltd, says that “Duty of Care” legislation needs to be taken seriously and once businesses get past the fear aspect of what it is all about and defining the different departmental responsibilities then they can move forward.

Therefore don’t let legislation DRIVE you mad; ask for help to install a satisfactory management control system that suits your business. By engaging a Fleet Management Company to carry out an audit of your current situation, will highlight the areas that will require immediate attention. Such as a driver training programme as part of your system which seems on paper a sound commercial reason to have, only 1 in 5 businesses actually operate one.

With costs continually increasing on a daily basis this is an area that can in a lot of cases make a dramatic saving as areas of inefficiency can be turned round to become more efficient and safer into the bargain very quickly.

Feel free to email me any questions that you may have and I will be happy to answer them for you.

graham@fleetmanagementsolutions.co.uk