Objectives 
Action
RequiredConsequencesPolicyCommunication
Objectives
Realistic
corporate objectives for any ‘Occupational
Road Risk’ management
programme would be as follows:
-
- Compliance with legal requirements
- Improvement in employee welfare
- Increased productivity
- Reduced costs
Action
Required
Recognising
the reality of driving risk
is the first, most important
step in addressing this issue,
however, having made this
step change in theory, many
businesses struggle to deal
with the practicalities of
addressing this.
Effective
risk management is not just
about ‘ticking
boxes’
although
no-one can deny the consequences of
not meeting your legal obligations.
On the other hand it is not
about mollycoddling drivers
at all costs either, yet there
are many companies in the
market who build up the individual
parts of the solution components,
such as driver training, where
much money can be spent, without
material benefit for the business.
Without
denying the importance of
these components as part of
the overall solution, a structured
and sequential approach to ‘Occupational
Road Risk’ is
what is required in order
to provide robust, long term,
risk management.
Fleetworx
initiate this with a risk
assessment, which will qualify
the areas of risk to which
individuals and the company
are exposed and quantify this
risk too. This is an essential
part of determining a strategy
and forming an action plan.
Unlike
others, our support does not
end with a report that tells
you what needs to be done.
We will help you through the
process of designing policy, communicating with
stakeholders and acquiring
services from new and existing
suppliers, in order to create
a complete solution.
We
help you balance essential
need with financial constraints,
but importantly get you on
the road to developing a ‘safe
driving’
and ‘low
risk’ culture
within your business.
Consequences
Where
an employee driving on company
business is held responsible
for a serious accident or
fatality and is subsequently
found not to be competent,
then the company and individual
Directors can be held liable.
Doing
nothing is not an option.
Each company has a responsibility
for the competence of all
occupational drivers and is
required to comply with statutory
requirements.
Occupational
driving is subject to increasing
regulation. Penalties for
non compliance are very severe.
Five years ago, the fine for
a fatality where a company
was held responsible rarely
exceeded
£10K.
Now it is likely to be between £100K
and £250K,
possibly more.
Department
of Transport figures in 2002
show that each road fatality
costs over £1.3
million. The HSE will prosecute
individual Directors for violations
including accidents caused
by incompetent occupational
drivers. A prison sentence
and heavy fine can result.
Policy
The
cornerstone of any communication
strategy for Fleet Safety
has to lie with the creation
of a policy document that
clearly spells out obligations
and expectations and consequences
for all parties involved.
Fleetworx
have a number of fleet safety
policy templates reflecting
all types of operational
nuances that will ensure that
continuity of message and
style are maintained whilst
none of the essential components
are missed.
Communication
There
are many messages and confirmations
of activity that will be
necessary during the course
of implementing your risk ‘Occupational
Road Risk’ strategy.
It
is important that the content
and the tone of these create
the required response. Fleetworx
will share our experience
of this with you and ensure
that your communication is
pitched at the right time,
with the right content in
order to be as effective
as possible.