25 May 2005
A RoSPA online risk assessment tool, allowing bosses to measure the
strengths and weaknesses of their employees’ driving without leaving
the workplace, has won a top award for innovation.
The
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has been presented with a
British Safety Industry Federation Product Innovation Award for its Driver Profiler. It is one of only five winners this year.
Using
internet technology, Driver Profiler focuses on behaviour and attitude
rather than the traditional assessment methods of control and skills.
The
awards celebrate new and original safety products and services that
contribute to improvements in occupational safety and health or
reductions in workplace injuries. They aim to promote the importance of
innovation and underline the highest standards of excellence within
occupational safety and health.
RoSPA’s Driver
Profiler was developed in partnership with BT because it is now
recognised that for the majority of people the most dangerous thing
they do while at work is drive on the public highway.
Around
1,000 deaths a year on Britain’s roads are believed to be work related.
RoSPA’s has led the campaign to combat the problem and to persuade
employers to manage the risks faced by their employees on the road.
Driver
Profiler is part of a package of products developed by the Society to
help employers with this. It is a psychometric test using 98 questions
which can determine eight different character traits. The profiler has
a built-in lie detector and costs only £15 per employee to use. It is
less costly than assessing people on the road and takes less than 30
minutes to complete.
Charles Davis, RoSPA Head of
Driver and Fleet Solutions, said: “RoSPA has pioneered the work on
managing occupational road risk, and Driver Profiler is a key element
in this. It can measure different traits such as aggression, stress
alertness and dislike of driving, allowing bosses to see what is good
and bad about a person’s driving.
“The results
gained from an online assessment allow employers to deliver an
appropriate level of training to each employee if required.”
The
award was presented to Charles Davis by Sir John Cullen, President of
the BSIF and former chairman of the Health and Safety Commission.