Topic of the Month: Road Safety

Road Safety

(Photo: Deutscher Verkehrssicherheitsrat e. V., Bonn)

An estimated 1.17 million deaths occur each year worldwide due to road accidents. The majority of these deaths, about 70 percent, occur in developing countries. Sixty-five percent of deaths involve pedestrians and 35 percent of pedestrian deaths are children. Over 10 million people are crippled or injured each year.

Every EU citizen has the right to live and work in safety. So, when you are walking, cycling, biking or driving a car or a truck, you should do so with a minimum risk to be hurt or killed. Likewise, other road users should not be damaged by your own participation in traffic.

Today, car manufacturers build ever safer cars and trucks, road engineering produces safer roads, and we are becoming increasingly conscious that we must act responsibly in traffic, to protect our own and other people's lives. Road safety has deservedly become a true society issue in Europe and on a global scale, and the European Commission contributes actively to this venture.

European Road Safety Charter
In Europe, the agreed method to more road safety is the principle of "shared responsibility". Beyond all institutional rhetoric, each and everyone has a role to play to make Europe's road safer. In this respect, the European Road Safety Charter is central, inviting all members of society, be they for instance a local school, a rural association or a large multinational company, to make their own measurable contribution to improving road safety.

The European Road Safety Charter is an appeal and a driving force for all civil society organisations to provide a tangible contribution to increasing road safety in Europe. It is a forum and a platform for the signatories to exchange experiences and new ideas - across national borders - in their efforts towards greater safety on European roads. It is a manifestation of the responsibility that all stakeholders assume in order to achieve the common goal: halving the number of traffic fatalities by 2010.

BENEFITS OF MANAGING WORK-RELATED ROAD SAFETY
The true costs of accidents to organisations are nearly always higher than just the costs of repairs and insurance claims. The consequences of an accident on the self-employed and small businesses are likely to be proportionately greater than on a larger business with greater resources. The benefits to you from managing work-related road safety can be considerable, no matter the size of your business.
· It allows you to exercise better control over costs, such as wear and tear and fuel, insurance premiums and legal fees and claims from employees and third parties.
· It also allows you to make informed decisions about matters such as driver training and vehicle purchase, and helps you identify where health and safety improvements can be made.
· Case studies and research have shown that benefits from managing work-related road safety and reducing crashes include:
- fewer days lost due to injury;
- reduced risk of work-related ill health;
- reduced stress and improved morale;
- less need for investigation and paperwork;
- less lost time due to work rescheduling;
- fewer vehicles off the road for repair;
- reduced running costs through better driving standards;
- fewer missed orders and business opportunities so reduced risk of losing the goodwill of customers;
- less chance of key employees being banned from driving, eg as a result of points on their licences.

Promoting sound health and safety driving practices and a good safety culture at work may well spill over into private driving, which could reduce the chances of staff being injured in a crash outside work.

HOW TO MANAGE WORK-RELATED ROAD SAFETY
Work-related road safety can only be effectively managed if it is integrated into your arrangements for managing health and safety at work. You should look at your health and safety systems and consider whether they adequately cover this area of work. The main areas you need to address are, policy, responsibility, organisation, systems and monitoring.

Policy
Does your health and safety policy statement cover work-related road safety? Your policy should be written down if you employ five or more people.

Responsibility
Is there top-level commitment to work-related road safety in your organisation and is responsibility clearly defined? Does the person who is responsible for it have sufficient authority to exert influence and does everyone understand what is expected of them?

Organisation and structure
In larger organisations, your aim is to ensure that you have an integrated organisational structure that allows cooperation across departments with different responsibilities for work-related road safety. In smaller businesses, your aim is to ensure you consider the links between driving activities.

Systems
Do you have adequate systems to allow you to manage work-related road safety effectively? For example, are you confident that your vehicles are regularly inspected and serviced in accordance with manufacturers' recommendations?

Monitoring
Do you monitor performance to ensure that your work-related road safety policy is effective? Are your employees encouraged to report all work-related road incidents without fear that punitive action will be taken against them? Do you collect sufficient information to allow you to make informed decisions about the effectiveness of existing policy and the need for changes?

ASSESSING RISKS ON THE ROAD
Risk assessments for any work-related driving activity should follow the same principles as risk assessments for any other work activity. You should bear in mind that failure to properly manage work-related road safety is more likely to endanger other people than a failure to properly manage risks in the workplace.
A risk assessment is nothing more than a careful examination of what at work activities can cause harm to people. It helps you to weigh up whether you have done enough to ensure safe working practices or should do more to prevent harm. Your risk assessment should be appropriate to the circumstances of your organisation and does not have to be over complex or technical. It should be carried out by a competent person with a practical knowledge of the work activities being assessed. For most small businesses, and the self-employed, the hazards will be easy to identify. Employers who employ less than five people do not have to record their findings, but they may find it helpful to make some notes.

EVALUATING THE RISKS
Working through this section will help you evaluate whether you are managing work-related road safety effectively. These considerations are not exhaustive and you may be able to think of others.

The driver
Competency
Are you satisfied that your drivers are competent and capable of doing their work in a way that is safe for them and other people?
· Does the employee have relevant previous experience?
· Does the job require anything more than a current driving licence, valid for the type of vehicle to be driven?
· Do your recruitment procedures include appropriate pre-appointment checks, eg do you always take up references?
· Do you check the validity of the driving licence on recruitment and periodically thereafter?
· Do you specifically check the validity of any driving entitlements as part of your recruitment procedures and periodically thereafter? Such entitlements may not have been restored after a period of disqualification.
· Are your at-work drivers aware of company policy on work-related road safety, and do they understand what is expected of them?
· Should your policy document be supplemented with written instructions and guidance and/or training sessions or group meetings?
· Have you specified what standards of skill and expertise are required for the circumstances of the particular job?
· How do you ensure that these standards are met?

Training
Are you satisfied that your drivers are properly trained?
· Do you evaluate whether those that drive at work require additional training to carry out their duties safely?
· Do you provide induction training for drivers?
· Do you arrange for drivers to be trained giving priority to those at highest risk, eg those with high annual mileage, poor accident records, or young drivers?
· Do drivers need to know how to carry out routine safety checks such as those on lights, tyres and wheel fixings?
· Do drivers know how to correctly adjust safety equipment, eg seat belts and head restraints?
· Do drivers know how to use anti-lock brakes (ABS) properly?
· Do drivers know how to check washer fluid levels before starting a journey?
· Do drivers know how to ensure safe load distribution, eg when undertaking multi-drop operations?
· Do drivers know what actions to take to ensure their own safety following the breakdown of their vehicle?
· Do you need to provide a handbook for drivers giving advice and information on road safety?
· Are drivers aware of the dangers of fatigue?
· Do they know what they should do if they start to feel sleepy?
· Are drivers fully aware of the height of their vehicle, both laden and empty? There are estimated to be around three to six major bridge strikes every day.
· Has money been budgeted for training? To be effective training needs should be periodically assessed, including the requirement for refresher training.

Fitness and health
Are you satisfied that your drivers are sufficiently fit and healthy to drive safely and not put themselves or others at risk?
· Do drivers of heavy lorries, for which there are legal requirements for medical examination, have the appropriate medical certificate?
· Although there is no legal requirement, should those at-work drivers who are most at risk, also undergo regular medicals?
· Should staff that drive at work be reminded that they must be able satisfy the eyesight requirements set out in the Highway Code?
· Have you told staff that they should not drive, or undertake other duties, while taking a course of medicine that might impair their judgement? In cases of doubt they should seek the view of their GP.

The vehicle
Suitability
Are you satisfied that vehicles are fit for the purpose for which they are used?
· Do you investigate which vehicles are best for driving and public health and safety when purchasing new or replacement vehicles?
· Is your fleet suitable for the job in hand? Have you thought about supplementing or replacing it, with leased or hire vehicles?
· Do you ensure that privately owned vehicles are not used for work purposes unless they are insured for business use and, where the vehicle is over three years old, they have a valid MOT certificate?

Condition
Are you satisfied that vehicles are maintained in a safe and fit condition?
· Do you have adequate maintenance arrangements in place?
· How do you ensure maintenance and repairs are carried out to an acceptable standard?
· Is planned/preventative maintenance carried out in accordance with manufacturers' recommendations? Remember an MOT certificate only checks for basic defects and does not guarantee the safety of a vehicle.
· Do your drivers know how to carry out basic safety checks?
· How do you ensure that vehicles do not exceed maximum load weight?
· Can goods and equipment which are to be carried in a vehicle be properly secured, eg loose tools and sample products can distract the driver's attention if allowed to move around freely?
· Are windscreen wipers inspected regularly and replaced as necessary?

Safety equipment
Are you satisfied that safety equipment is properly fitted and maintained?
· Is safety equipment appropriate and in good working order?
· Are seatbelts and head restraints fitted correctly and do they function properly?

Safety critical information
Are you satisfied that drivers have access to information that will help them reduce risks?
· Have you thought of ways that information can be made readily available to drivers?
Eg:
- recommended tyre pressures;
- how to adjust headlamp beam to compensate for load weight;
- how to adjust head restraints to compensate for the effects of whiplash;
- the action drivers should take where they consider their vehicle is unsafe and who they should contact.

Ergonomic considerations
Are you satisfied that drivers' health, and possibly safety, is not being put at risk, eg from inappropriate seating position or driving posture?
· Do you take account of ergonomic considerations before purchasing or leasing new vehicles?
· Do you provide drivers with guidance on good posture and, where appropriate, on how to set their seat correctly?

The journey
Routes

Do you plan routes thoroughly?
· Could you use safer routes which are more appropriate for the type of vehicle undertaking the journey? Motorways are the safest roads and although minor roads may be fine for cars, they are less safe and could present difficulties for larger vehicles.
· Does your route planning take sufficient account of overhead restrictions eg bridges and tunnels and other hazards, such as level crossings, which may present dangers for long vehicles?

Scheduling
Are work schedules realistic?
· Do you take sufficient account of periods when drivers are most likely to feel sleepy when planning work schedules? Sleep-related accidents are most likely to occur between 2 am and 6 am and between 2 pm and 4 pm.
· Have you taken steps to stop employees from driving if they feel sleepy even if this might upset delivery schedules?
· Where appropriate, do you regularly check tachographs to ensure drivers are not cutting corners and putting themselves and others at risk?
· Do you try to avoid periods of peak traffic flow?
· Do you make sufficient allowances for new trainee drivers?

Time
Are you satisfied that sufficient time is allowed to complete journeys safely?
· Are your schedules realistic? Do journey times take account of road types and condition, and allow for rest breaks? Would you expect a non-vocational driver to drive and work for longer than a professional driver? The Highway Code1 recommends that drivers should take a 15 minute break every two hours. Professional drivers must of course comply with drivers' hours rules.
· Does company policy put drivers under pressure and encourage them to take unnecessary risks, eg to exceed safe speeds because of agreed arrival times?
· Can drivers make an overnight stay, rather than having to complete a long road journey at the end of the working day?
· Have you considered advising staff that work irregular hours of the dangers of driving home from work when they are excessively tired? In such circumstances they may wish to consider an alternative, such as a taxi?

Distance
Are you satisfied that drivers will not be put at risk from fatigue caused by driving excessive distances without appropriate breaks?
· Can you eliminate long road journeys or reduce them by combining with other methods of transport? For example, it may be possible to move goods in bulk by train and then arrange for local distribution by van or lorry.
· Do you plan journeys so that they are not so long as to contribute to fatigue?
· What criteria do you use to ensure that employees are not being asked to work an exceptionally long day? Remember that sometimes people will be starting a journey from home.

Weather conditions
Are you satisfied that sufficient consideration is given to adverse weather conditions, such as snow or high winds, when planning journeys?
· Can your journey times and routes be rescheduled to take account of adverse weather conditions?
· Where this is possible is it done?
· Are you satisfied that vehicles are properly equipped to operate in poor weather conditions, eg are anti-lock brakes fitted?
· Are you content that drivers understand the action they should take to reduce risk, eg do drivers of high-sided vehicles know that they should take extra care if driving in strong winds with a light load?
· Are you satisfied that drivers do not feel pressurised to complete journeys where weather conditions are exceptionally difficult?

Further information

European Road Safety Charter
Read more ...

Driving at work - Managing work-related road safety
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Managing Occupational Road Risk Resources
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Road safety education resources for various ages
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Guidelines for employers and managers
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Resources about cycling safety
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Advice leaflets about driving and in-car safety
Read more ...

Resources about motorcyclists safety
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Mobile Phones and Driving
Read more ...

Top ten tips to help drivers
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Air Bag Safety
Read more ...

Anti Lock Brake Systems (ABS)
Read more ...

Cell Phones and Other Telematic Devices
Read more ...

Drinking and Driving
Read more ...

Impacts of Cannabis on Driving
Read more ...

Winter Tire Safety
Read more ...