Following on from the inspection and sensitization campaign promoted in Ireland on vehicle risk management at work, the HSA has continued in the same vein with a series of best practices and steps that can be used to manage vehicle related risks and promote fleet safety in the workplace.
While some of the reference links to the official websites of HSA are specific to Ireland, most practices can be applied globally and will undoubtedly help initiate the risk management process for companies whose business is dependent on vehicles.
1. Make work related vehicle safety a priority topic for your business. Safety must be treated thoroughly and never underestimated.
2. If you haven’t already done so, appoint a responsible person for vehicle risk management in your business.
3. Inform yourself about common vehicle related risks in the workplace. You can find relevant information at www.vehiclesatwork.ie; www.drivingforwork.ie and www.loadsafe.ie.
4. Educate yourself on how to manage vehicle risks. HSA has made available a series of free online courses: check out Workplace Transport Safety and Managing Driving for Work courses at www.hsalearning.ie.
5. Develop a vehicle risk management policy for all vehicle related activities in the workplace. This includes not only vehicles operated by you and your employees but also visiting vehicles that need to be managed and controlled.
6. Carry out necessary risk assessments to fully identify, understand and measure level of risk exposure in your business.
7. Put procedures in place to eliminate and control known risks associated with: driving for work, loading and unloading, deliveries and collections, parking, reversing and manoeuvring, and coupling/uncoupling trailers
8. Inform, instruct and train all employees how to work safely with, on or around vehicles. Often, those killed and injured by vehicles are not driving them, but working on, near or around them.
9. Record and learn from all incidents and near misses. Learn from your own business but also from accident trends in your sector or similar businesses.
Such procedures are necessary to protect you, your employees and your business from vehicle related harm, cost and damage.
For more information about vehicle management, see our blog post about the 4 key vehicle management concerns a fleet director has.