10.2 Driving at work

Question 1

The range of hazards will be wide. The main areas to think about are

Answer 1

the driverthe vehicle the journey

Question 2

Drivers should be provided with appropriate information to help them reduce risks, for example:

Answer 2

 recommended tyre pressures  how to adjust headlamp beam to compensate for load weight  how to adjust head restraints to compensate for the effects of whiplash  action to be taken should a driver consider their vehicle to be unsafe.

Question 3

Work-related road safety can only be effectively managed if it is integrated into the general arrangements for managing health and safety at work. The main areas to be addressed are:

Answer 3

policyresponsibilityorganisationsystemsmonitoring

Question 4

Systems A range of systems will be needed to: 7

Answer 4

 Ensure the suitability of vehicles  Assess the mechanical condition of vehicles  Set a limit on the amount of driving hours  Safeguard the condition (from drugs and alcohol, for example) and health of drivers  Prevent the use of mobile phones and other in-car devices  Check all relevant documents  Train employees to drive safely and make them aware company policies and procedures.

Question 5

Outline the arrangements in a motor fleet policy that will minimise the risk to a company sales force in which the sales personnel are expected to spend around 150 days a year travelling around their respective sales areas. 10 marks

Answer 5

People, equipment and organisational issues should have been identified by a risk assessment and the subsequent arrangements made to minimise the risk of these include: Individual  Checks in place to ensure drivers are competent/capable (previous experience, references, etc.)  Training (induction and refresher) to ensure safe driving behaviours (speed limits, rest breaks, etc)  Fitness and health checks, such as general eyesight checks, or specific medicals for LGV and PCV drivers Vehicle  Selecting vehicles that are fit for the purposes of the sales force  Maintaining the vehicles in a safe and fit condition – including planned preventative maintenance, ensuring drivers are trained to carry out basic safety checks (e.g. tyre tread) on a regular basis. Organisation Having relevant procedural systems in place, such as:  incident reporting  emergency procedures  journey planning, etc.