Driving for a living: here’s what you need to know and do

Why it’s vital for road users that employers make ‘grey fleet’ safety a top priority

DRIVING for work, for many of us, involves the morning and evening commute.

However, there are lots of people who spend far more time on the road as part of their job. They may be delivering goods, carrying people, visiting clients etc. It means they spend a lot of their day behind the wheel.

Drivers may be using a company vehicle or one of their own.

For them there is an added risk to the working day. Road crashes are, unfortunately, a leading cause of worker-related injuries.

International evidence suggests that people who drive for work are 40pc more likely to be involved in a collision.

Research undertaken by Professor Anne Drummond, at UCD, found that between 2008 and 2011 a total of 23pc of all road traffic fatalities were work related.

Driving for a living also poses risks for fellow workers, the public and other road users.

But the risk doesn’t fall only on the driver. If you own or run a business and some of your employees are driving for work, it is your responsibility to ensure they are fully qualified and trained to deal with any potential risk on the road.

The message is simple: If they are driving for work they are at work. And just as you have to obey health and safety standards in the physical location of your work, you are legally required to put a driving for work safety plan in place. If not, there could be serious consequences for you and your employees.

You simply can’t be in the passenger seat of the work vehicle while your employees are driving, and you definitely can’t control road conditions. But you can promote and influence safe driving among your workforce.

You can help ensure your employees are safe when they are doing their job.

Driving-for-work incidents create a burden, both human and financial, for employers – they include vehicle repair cost, worker absence, third-party claims and lost business opportunities. Reducing or eliminating these not only prevents personal-injury trauma, it reduces your costs.

The RSA, HSA and gardaí work to support companies and organisations to develop, and use, safe-driving practices. Driving for Work seminars take place every October for companies, large and small, who want to ensure their employees are safe.

The half-day seminars are free. They should be of particular interest and benefit to employers, self-employed, transport, safety and fleet managers.

Delegates will hear case studies from other companies who have managed driving-for-work risk effectively.

This year’s seminars will focus on the ‘Grey Fleet’ – those who drive their own car or van for work purposes which also falls under the responsibility of the employer.

Because ‘grey fleet’ vehicles do not belong to the company, employers can face a complicated set of issues when it comes to managing the safety to ensure they meet legal road requirements.

The Driving for Work seminars will provide valuable information and resources to employers in how to manage this.

The dates for this year and locations are as follows: Today, Clayton Hotel, Galway; Tomorrow, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Blanchardstown, Dublin; Wednesday, October 23, Fota Island Resort, Cork; Thursday, October 24, Leopardstown Pavilion, Dublin.

For more information, or to register, go to drivingforwork.ie