RoSPA Press Office : Press Release
March 1, 2004
TV STAR’S IDEA TO HELP BATTLE AGAINST FLEET CRASHES
Television personality and businessman Noel Edmonds is to use his experience in the video conferencing market to spearhead the battle to reduce the number of accidents involving company car and van drivers.
Noel has launched a new video conferencing venture, face2face, a nationwide network of over 300 Video Meeting Rooms. He will use the latest technology to address RoSPA’s seminar on managing occupational road risk at the Watford Hilton, Hertfordshire, on April 21, from his Devon home.
The aim is to show delegates how thousands of miles of driving could be avoided by using video to enable people at work to link up for meetings around the country – reducing risks, costs and stress.
Roger Bibbings, RoSPA Occupational Safety Adviser, said: “The idea is to promote the concept of ‘Meeting Without Moving’. By broadcasting live to our seminar, Noel will show how video-conferencing can help organisations to eliminate exposure to risk through unnecessary travel by road.
“It is now accepted that for the majority of people the most dangerous thing they do at work is driving. RoSPA has said for a long time that many road journeys could be avoided by using video conferencing or alternative safer means of transport.”
The Focusing on Performance event in Watford is sponsored by Toyota and builds on the success of RoSPA’s previous seminars on managing occupational road risk (MORR) - a subject which is now in even sharper focus following the publication of new guidance from the Health and Safety Executive.
There will be a series of briefings on the HSE’s guidance and on how to bring MORR into mainstream health and safety management, developing the skills of both drivers and their line managers.
Delegates will be able to find out about innovations from RoSPA, including how to assess drivers online and SenseAbility, a virtual reality test for drivers.
“Accidents while driving for work are the UK’s biggest occupational safety problem and we have to consider every method possible to combat them, ” Roger Bibbings said.
More information can be found at www.rospa.com/morr or by ringing 0121 248 2120.
