Driving is among the most high-risk activities employees perform for the sake of their organization. Estimates show that 2 in every ten fatal injuries involve people driving for work. Although the matter is serious, people tend to overlook risks related to occupational driving. Every companyshould undertake driving risk assessment to know the hazards and put in place effective measures to reduce the risks. One of the ways to reduce work-related driving accidents is by eliminating the need for employees to drive for work by encouraging remote work, video conferencing, and the use of public transport. However, this might be impossible in some cases since many work activities require the presence of employees. This article aims to discuss factors that should be considered in a risk assessment and management for fleet car driving to reduce accidents.
Driving Risk Assessment
Before coming up with factors that need to be considered in an assessment aimed at minimizing occupational road accidents, you need to understand what a driving risk assessment is. It is a tool used to evaluate the potential risks associated with employees driving for work purposes. When employers understand the risks, they can come up with measures that can reduce hazards and improve safety on the roads, enhance operational efficiency and minimize driver’s stress. Different organizations conduct transport risk assessments to keep employees, visitors and pedestrians safe.
Factors to consider in an assessment to reduce work-related driving risks
Driver Competency
An employer is obliged to perform thorough induction checks to ensure that the employee they hire is competent to drive. They must have a valid driving license, and the vehicle should be insured for business use. Employees should be educated on the need to be sober when driving and why they should inform their employers in case of any issue that can impair their driving capability. Some common hazards that can affect a driver’s competency include illness, drugs and alcohol, fatigue, mental or physical health conditions, and distractions like using a mobile phone when driving.
Costs
Road accidents increase the costs of repairs, which is expensive; the more accidents, the more the costs. The costs of replacing sensors, radars, and cameras are high. Failing to perform effective risk assessment and management has more costs than those related to car damage. Those costs include legal costs, lost time due to work rescheduling, lost work days due to injuries, paperwork and investigation, and fewer vehicles available for work. It is important for organizations to perform driving risk assessments before allowing their employees to drive to work to minimize these costs.
Safe Vehicles
It is vital to conduct a thorough vehicle assessment to determine whether it is fit and safe for use. Some hazards may include mechanical failures, falling loads and vehicle rolling over. Vehicle riskassessments help the employer to know and minimize all issues that can increase the risk of accidents and injuries. Cars must be maintained regularly to ensure they are in good shape. They should also have valid insurance policy. They should carry safety and emergency equipment like warning triangles, first aid kits and fire extinguishers. Drivers should be informed that they need to perform basic checks on their vehicles before commencing a journey. Weight and distribution of loads should also be considered before driving since overload can affect the handling and stability of a vehicle.
Health Risks
Apart from costs and losses incurred by work-related driving accidents, there are health risks caused by fleet driving. Drivers may get stressed due to traffic congestion and the need to drive faster to meet work time schedules, gastrointestinal disease due to long driving hours, and environmental-related health effects due to exposure to Sulphur, nitrogen oxides and diesel fumes. Employers should take into consideration these health-related risks caused by driving and come up with ways to minimize them. For example, they can encourage the use of public transport rather than private cars or use video conferencing rather than letting employees drive for long distances just to attend a meeting.
Legal Requirements
Regardless of the reason for driving or the location of your organization, road regulations must be followed. Employers have to follow the set road regulations and ensure that vehicles used for work purposes are safe to avoid legal implications. Employers who ignore these requirements face hefty fines under the law. It is also the duty of an employer to minimize health hazards and improve safety for road-related work activities. The law requires them to ensure the safety of employees while at work and minimize work-related driving risks. They should perform risk assessments to reduce work-related hazards to employees and other people who might be affected by work activities.
Safe Journey
The safety of the journey is crucial, and risk assessment should first determine the importance and purpose of the journey. It is important to ask questions such as can the journey be avoided? Can the task be fulfilled using video or telephone? If the journey is necessary, then an assessment should consider the following.
- Weather conditions and the nature of the roads: Choose safe routes to minimize road dangers. Determine if the driver feels pressured to complete the journey in certain weather conditions. Let the driver have a contact person if the journey proves hazardous. Ensure the vehicle is well equipped for poor weather conditions.
- Driving instructions: Ensure the drivers are given clear instructions on how to remain safe while on the road
- Material handling: Inform the drivers that they are not supposed to use hand-held phones while driving. Provide ways for drivers to communicate without using their phones while driving.
- Resting breaks: The journey time should allow drivers to take rest breaks to ensure they are energized for the journey.
- Schedule: The schedule for the journey should not put the driver under pressure to avoid encouraging them to drive fast or extend speed limits.
In conclusion, work-related driving has been the leading cause of road accidents. This means employers need to perform risk assessments and develop ways to minimize work-related driving risks. Over 30 per cent of road deaths and injuries involve driving for work, but this can be minimized if employers take risk management for fleet car driving. They should consider the costs that result from road accidents, including repair and insurance premium costs. Risk assessment should determine whether drivers are competent for driving, vehicles are safe and fit for driving, and journey hazards to reduce legal fees.