As an employer or employee you will already be aware of Occupational Health Risk Assessments.  If you manage a fleet of company cars or are a company car driver yourself, have you considered the risks associated with driving for work or even just to and from work?

You do not need a fleet of company vehicles to adopt a Road Risk Management Strategy within your company. Anyone who drives in your organisation, whether it one person or a 1000 would benefit from Road Risk Management.

What is Occupational Road Risk Assessment (ORR)?

Occupational road risk is the term used to describe the dangers associated with driving as part of your job. This does not only involve commercial vehicles but anyone who drives a car on company business.

Road Risk Assessment applies the standard risk assessment approach to the many hazards associated with driving for work, including:

Do you have van drivers who work for you?

In 2003 there were 28,864 accidents involving vans and trucks in Great Britain. This resulted in 9,958 van and truck drivers and passengers being injured of which 1,194 were killed or seriously injured.

How many of your drivers have had additional driver training since passing their driving test? How many of those have had training in a van?

It is not uncommon for van drivers to have accidents whilst reversing, negotiating parked vehicles, and whilst changing lanes or overtaking. Many van drivers are unaware that different speed limits apply to them.

If a van driver employed by your organisation was involved in an accident, could you say that you had done everything to ensure that the driver had received the necessary training? To minimise the risk in terms of your driver's health and to your own corporate identity, you should consider the benefits additional training could bring. A liveried van at the scene of an accident is never a good advertisement for any company.

The Benefits

As well as complying with your legal responsibilities, there are many advantages to implementing a fleet driver assessment and training policy.