RoSPA Press Office : Press Release
March 18, 2005
NEW POLICE CHECKS ON AT-WORK DRIVERS IN ACCIDENTS
New police checks are being made on drivers who have road accidents while at work.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said the decision to keep official records of the number of work-related road accidents was a major boost for the campaign to manage occupational road risk.
It is now widely accepted that the most dangerous thing most people do while at work is to drive, but precise casualty figures have been unavailable until now.
Charles Davis, RoSPA Head of Driver and Fleet Solutions, said: “We have been delighted to learn that police officers attending road accidents are for the first time recording if the journey was for work purposes.
“This will give us accurate information about the number of work-related road accidents, and will also be yet another warning to employers and fleet managers about the responsibility they have to keep their drivers safe.”
RoSPA has led the campaign for employers to manage occupational road risk (MORR). The Society has estimated that between 800 and 1,000 deaths on Britain’s road each year involve someone who is at work, an estimate that has been confirmed by the Government’s Work-Related Road Safety Task Group.
A section on the Stats19 forms which police fill in after accidents now asks if it was a journey “as part of work”. The figures are expected to be published for the first time next year.
“We think this will prove once and for all that this is the biggest work-related safety issue facing the country,” Charles Davis said. “If that is the case, serious consideration will have to be given to a Health and Safety at Work Act Approved Code of Practice on driving for work so that companies will understand they will face legal action if they don’t meet their responsibilities.
“More and more organisations are now getting to grips with managing occupational road risk, but far too many still pay no heed to what their drivers are doing out on the road. Employers have a moral responsibility to keep their employees safe by introducing safe driving policies, but also to safeguard the lives of people on roads around them.
“There is also a strong business case for managing occupational road risk which no company can afford to ignore.” See http://www.rospa.com/drivertraining/ .
The HSE and the Department for Transport have issued guidance to employers about work-related road safety, stressing the need for employers to carry out risk assessments and introduce control measures such as driver training.
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RoSPA is a registered charity: Registered Charity No: 207823 Patron: Her Majesty the Queen RoSPA Head Office: Edgbaston Park, 353 Bristol Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B5 7ST, UK |
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