Are employers ignoring legal duties?
Despite having legal responsibilities for those who drive at work, new research shows that many employers are ignoring them. What’s the latest news?
Government pressure. Driving at work keeps rearing its head. We’ve mentioned it before, most recently in T&A Health & Safety yr. 4, iss. 5, pg. 8, (21.11.2005). The main reason is that there’s been pressure exerted by the government onto its various enforcement bodies to reduce the number of accidents on the roads. Most recently this pressure has been focussed on those who drive for work (mainly due to the high number of accidents they’re involved in!) The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) estimates that 1,000 people are killed whilst driving on business each year and another 13,000 are badly injured. So what should you be doing?
Driver’s survey. The IAM carried out a survey of 1,000 drivers in January 2006. Its purpose was to assess how seriously their employers took the need to manage driver safety. Its key findings were as follows: (1) 76% of employers don’t check that private vehicles are insured for business use; (2) 75% of employers don’t train drivers in how to carry out basic vehicle safety checks; (3) 73% of drivers aren’t asked to produce MOT certificates; (4) 53% haven’t received information on driving-related risks, and; (5) 46% of employers never check driving licences.
Tip. Start with the basics. Carry out annual checks to ensure those using their own vehicles only drive cars which are insured for business use and have an up-to-date MOT. Also, make it company policy that all drivers produce their driving licences annually. A good way of ensuring that this is carried out is to incorporate these points into a general “driving at work” policy. For completeness, this can also set out how risks are managed and incorporate a driver-safety checklist.
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