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Every year about 70 people are killed in accidents involving vehicles at the workplace. In addition, there are more than 1000 major injuries, ie accidents which result in broken bones, amputations etc. These accidents usually involve people
being struck or run over by moving vehicles, people falling from vehicles or people being struck by falling objects.
Free leaflets are available on the H.S.E. website.
Driving at work - managing work-related road safety
This HSE guidance is for employers, managers, or supervisors with staff who drive, or ride a motorcycle or bicycle at work, particularly those responsible for fleet management. It is noted that up to a third of all road traffic accidents involve somebody who is working at the time, possibly accounting for more than 20 fatalities and 250 serious injuries every week.
Legal requirements
Health and safety law requirements are additional to those employers already have under road traffic law, such as the Road Traffic Act and Road Vehicle (Construction and Use) Regulations. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, employers must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of all employees while at work. They must also ensure the safety of others who may be put at risk by work-related driving activities.
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to manage health and safety effectively. An assessment of the risks to health and safety to employees, while they are at work, is required as well as to those who may be affected by their work activities. Risk assessments must be reviewed regularly.
The guidance suggests that the main areas that need to be addressed in order to manage work-related road safety effectively are:
· policy - is work-related road safety covered by the health and safety policy (required if over five people are employed)?
· responsibility
· organisation and structure
· systems - that is, adequate systems to allow for the effective management of work-related road safety
· monitoring.
Assessing the risk of work-related driving activities should follow the same principle as risk assessments for any other work activity, says the guidance. The aim of the risk assessment id to make the risk of someone being injured or killed as low as possible. The five steps to risk assessment are outlined and defined:
· look for hazards
· decide who might be harmed
· evaluate the risk and decide on whether existing precautions are adequate or more should be done
· record the findings
· review the assessment and revise it if necessary.
Evaluation
This section of the guidance is intended to help evaluate whether work-related road safety is being managed effectively. It suggests considering:
· the driver: competency, training, and fitness and health
· the vehicle: suitability, condition, safety equipment, safety critical information, ergonomic considerations (such as driving posture)
· the journey: routes, scheduling, time, distance, weather conditions.
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