Do I have a responsibility to my Staff who Drive?
Yes absolutely!!. Managing the risks to employees who drive as part of their job requires more than just compliance with road traffic legislation. So what do you have to do and who exactly are you responsible for?
The Health and Safety at Work Order (NI) 1978 places a duty on employers to ensure the health and safety of their employees, this includes the time when your employees are driving, this includes driving their own vehicles and company vehicles. Immediately people think of courier businesses, taxi companies, companies who deliver products, BUT have you considered businesses such as Children's Daycare Nurseries where Staff carry out school collections? Pharmacies where staff deliver prescriptions to those who cannot get to the Pharmacy? Managers who have responsibility for example overseeing a number of Care Homes which involves driving to the various Care Home premises. Driving is carried out by a large number of employees and sometimes as employers, we haven't even considered it as a risk to our Staff.
So as an Employer, what do I have to do?
Essentially your responsibilities can be broadly divided into three areas:-
- Drivers
- Vehicles
- Journey.
Lets look briefly at each of these.
Drivers.
- Can you confirm your staff who drive are competent and capable of doing their work in a way that is safe for them and others?
- Are they properly trained i.e. do they have an appropriate licence for the vehicle they are driving?
- Can you be sure that your staff who drive are sufficiently fit and healthy to drive safely and not put themselves and others at risk?
- Have you provided your staff with information that will help them reduce risk? (eg recommended tyre pressures);
- Have you provided your staff with appropriate advice on driving posture
Vehicles
- Are Company and Employee owned vehicles fit for the purpose for which they are used? (Do you retain maintenance records for company vehicles, do you obtain copies of MOT Certificate for Staff whose cars are four years old or more?
- Are company vehicles an employee vehicles maintained in a safe condition and fit for the road? (Do you have a vehicle inspection form in place for Company Vehicles?).
Journey
- Does your journey planning take account of appropriate routes;
- Do you staff work to realistic work schedules;
- Do you ensure you are not putting drivers at risk from fatigue and do your staff know how the symptoms of fatigue?
- Do you take sufficient account of adverse weather conditions.
So what do I have to do?
Ensure you have a risk assessment in place for driving
Ensure you have a Driver Policy in place
Ensure you have assessed the competency of all your staff who drive
Ensure your staff who drive are medically fit to drive
Ensure any vehicles being driven by your staff are fit for purpose.
If you would like further assistance or advice on your responsibilities contact a member of the team at HBSC.
Some useful links.
“When do I need to have a Health & Safety Policy, Risk Assessments etc. documented?”
When you have five or more employees you must have a written H&S Policy and document significant findings of your risk assessments.
“Am I responsible for Contractors working in my premises?”
Yes! you must obtain appropriate information from your Contractors to ensure the safety of your Employees and Contractors on site
“Will you pass your findings onto any enforcing authority?”
No, any information we are provided with or anything we see on your premises will remain confidential between you and your consultant
“Is this going to be expensive?”
We work with all our clients to offer a bespoke solution suitable to you budget
“Do I need a Driving Policy?”
If you have employees who drive as part of their job role, you require to have a driver policy in place and driving risk assessment.
“Do I have to test Electrical Appliances?”
“Do I have to complete a Fire Risk Assessment?”
Yes, if you have 5 or more employees you must have a documented Fire Risk Assessment and Fire Log
“Do I have to provide my Staff with Training?”
Yes, it is a legal requirement to provide your Staff with Fire Awareness Training. You must also provide relevant training specific to your employee's job roles, e.g. Manual Handling, Food Safety & Hygiene etc.