Periodic driver training and risk assessments are a legal requirement under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. It is also a requirement under the Management of Health and Safety At Work Regulations 1999, as employers you have a duty of care for the safety of employees not only in the workplace, but whilst they go about their work, wherever that may be. This duty of care also applies to visitors to your premises, plus those who may be affected by any of your business activities, which in the case of driving, means all other road users. Out of sight does not mean out mind in the case of safety compliance.
Frightening, isn't it? But good quality training can produce the following benefits:
- Reduce fuel costs between 5-15% savings per vehicle.
- Possibly reduce insurance costs.
- Lower vehicle running costs through reduced wear and tear.
- Obtain higher resale values for your used company vehicles.
- Reduce insurance claims and wasted administration time, and bad publicity!
- Reduce lost employee hours invloved in sorting vehicle repairs after accidents.
- Identify high risk drivers, who may affect your insurance rating and company reputation.
- Prepare your driver risk assessments to help with compliance.
So not only would you be meeting the Duty of Care to your employees and other road users, as another fringe benefit, you improve employee morale and reduce driver stress, thus making the working atmosphere overall more pleasant to each and every staff member.
Training is just one of a number of requirements under the Health and Safety At Work Act 1974.
Take a look at the following Government archive file On Driving for Work This was archived in September 2009, and still holds true today, are you up to date ?
Training is quite simply "a change in attitude".
Good practical training could and should pay for itself.
If you want to look at the need for practical driver training and "managing occupational road risk" from another perspective, here is the Trades Union Congress document Driven to Death from March 2000! It just goes to prove that this concern is nothing new! and one day, someone will really become the fall guy, by being made an example of, don't let it be you or your organisation....
The Pro's and Con's of keeping Training and Risk Assessments In-House
Assessing and Training requires competent people and they may already be within your organisation.
Assessing and training delivered by in-house personnel will have some benefit as they will have a good working knowledge of the task and be acquainted with company policy.
What if you delegate key staff to undertake workplace assessments on other workers, having previous knowledge of them may not provide the most accurate results?
Will they be able and willing to help formulate an accurate "training needs assessment" and will that be fair and unbiased in all its aspects?
Staff, although good at their job, may not be the best communicators to pass that information on to others.
Visit the HSE website to define what makes a competent person
Problems may arise in particular if DRIVER training is required, because under current legislation, you cannot teach driving instruction on the road unless you are an "Approved Driving Instructor"
As an external organisation, we are very well qualified to independently assess your staff and then if required, give them driving instruction or training on other driving related matters.
We continually review our knowledge and apply "continuing professional development" to all our activities.
We are well qualified to give impartial and up to date advice, assist in arousing interest and debate about all aspects of being a company driver with all its implications.
Give us a call NOW! We are freindly and informative and will try to assist you to ensure compliance, for your, and your organisations sake.
Use our site map to get an overall account of what we do and the services we provide, and the benefits you may derive from this undertaking this task.
