Brake, the road safety charity, has welcomed revised guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on managing work-related road safety. The HSE's 'Driving at work: managing work-related road safety' remains an essential guide for any organisation with employees who drive for work, and self-employed drivers in helping them prevent needless crashes and casualties and drive down costs.
The guidance has been fully reviewed and improved with examples of types of activities companies can use to manage road risk, and signposts to further information from Brake and other organisations. The guidance is available as a free download from hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg382.pdf.
At least one in four (26%) road casualties in Britain involve an at-work driver [1]. Many of these devastating events can be prevented through employers implementing tried and tested policies and practices. Many employers who effectively manage their road risk experience a range of benefits including improved staff morale and reputation, and significantly reduced costs.
Brake provides guidance and tools to organisations with staff who drive for work through its Fleet Safety Forum. Brake has recently produced an 'Essential guide to fleet safety' with the support of the Department for Transport, which can be read alongside Driving at work, specifically aimed at small businesses and employers starting out in road risk management.
Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive, Brake, said: "Driving is the riskiest activity most employees engage in, and a huge proportion of devastating road casualties involve someone who's driving on company time. It's therefore essential that organisations with staff who drive for work are aware of the simple, low-cost steps they can take to protect their drivers and the public. I would urge all organisations with employees who drive on work time to read this updated HSE guidance, alongside Brake's essential guide to fleet safety, to ensure their risk management policies and practices are up to date and in line with best practice."
[1] Reported Road Casualties Great Britain 2012, Department for Transport, 2013.
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