Revised guidance on driving and riding safety for work, just launched by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) is the centrepiece of the Driver Safety Zone, hosted by Highways England Driving for Better Business (dfbb) at the Health and Safety conference 7-9 September at the NEC.
Driving and riding for work has changed dramatically in recent years with a booming gig economy, the huge growth in online shopping and delivery, the steady increase in “grey fleet†use – plus rapidly changing vehicle technology, making up-to-date advice essential for employers and workers alike.
Driving for Better Business’s Driver Safety Zone brings together leading experts, thought leaders and suppliers in managing safety for those who drive or ride for work. A packed programme [https://www.healthandsafetyevent.com/driver-safety-zone] over the three days covers:
Policy development
Driver communication
Driver health and wellbeing
Driver impairment
Incident investigation
Record keeping
Driver fatigue
Safety culture
Simon Turner, Driving for Better Business Campaign Manager said: “For most people, driving will be the highest-risk activity they do while at work. One in three road collisions in Britain involves someone driving as part of their job – plus many more involving people travelling to or from their place of work. The Health and Safety at Work Act requires employers to take appropriate steps to ensure the health and safety of their employees and others who may be affected by their activities when at work. This applies when driving in the same way as it does in the workplace.
“But there is also a very strong business case for managing work-related road safety. Fewer road incidents mean fewer days lost to injury; fewer repairs to vehicles with vehicles out of action; fewer missed orders and overall reduced running costs.â€
This revised guidance, created jointly by the Health and Safety Executive and the Department for Transport tells employers exactly what is expected of them when managing work-related road risk.
In the Driver Safety Theatre, we will have presentations from experts in a wide range of driver and vehicle safety management disciplines to explain the guidance’s impact on employers and how they can implement good practice to ensure they’re compliant with its recommendations.
Driving for Better Business will also be highlighting the growing gap between the standard safety technology on cars and hgvs vs vans and light commercial vehicles. This is made clear by a striking banner [attached] on the stand. It shows that van registrations grew 75% faster than new car registrations just three years ago; van occupants are 7% more likely to suffer serious injury or death than car occupants; and that typically, cars have three times more safety features than vans. Commercial vans play a crucial role in the last mile delivery of goods and there are now more than 4.5 million on UK roads.
Exhibitors in the Driver Safety Zone area include fleetcheck, IAM roadsmart, Driver Hire, Draeger and Westcotec.
Also on show will be the white Kia Soul EV car [photo attached] that Simon Turner will drive for Project EDWARD – Every Day Without A Road Death which this year is managed by roadsafe in partnership with Driving for Better Business. It is one of three cars travelling through England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with a week-long series of events to promote good practice road safety between 13 and 17 September. Project EDWARD is backed by government, the emergency services, highways agencies, road safety organisations and British businesses and promotes an evidence-led, ‘safe system’ approach – the long-term objective of which is a road traffic system free from death and serious injury.
Driving for Better Business is a long-term supporter of Project EDWARD and many of the projects being showcased during the road trip relate to best practice management of work-related road risk. Contributions to this year’s campaign are lined up from Royal Mail, Waitrose and Openreach as well as the HS2 construction supply chain, plus there will be demonstrations of a range of the latest collision avoidance technologies available for commercial vehicles in collaboration with Thatcham Research on a visit in Kent for the launch of their Vision Zero road safety strategy.
*Article Source http://www.roadsafe.com
