Occupational Road Risk

In this feature we take a brief look at Occupational Road Risk. Just how much of an issue is at work road safety? And what are road safety professionals doing to address the problem?

The scale of the problem
Every year in Britain between 800 and 1000 people are killed in road accidents in which someone involved was in a vehicle while at work.

This estimated figure equates to around 30 per cent of all road fatalities - and is more than the total of all notifiable occupational fatalities. In other words, death on the road is far more likely than by any other means while at work. Indeed, higher mileage car and van drivers are at the same risk of being killed at work as those employed in ‘dangerous’ occupations such as construction and quarrying.

In much the same way as is the case with other occupational risks, employers have a duty to assess risk and to take 'reasonably practicable measures' to ensure 'safe systems of work' for their employees while they are on the road.

Organisations that try to manage the risks faced by their staff while at work on the road - whether as drivers, passengers or pedestrians – can help to save lives, reduce accident costs, improve their public image, and boost the overall health and safety culture within their organisation.

What’s more, successfully tackling occupational road risk will make a significant contribution to meeting the Government’s road safety targets and will mean that 'everyone wins' - businesses, their employees, other road users and society as a whole.

Initiatives by road safety organisations
LARSOA
Following extensive research carried out in the eastern region, a working party has been established to set about producing a resource to help businesses address occupational road risk. This project is being financially supported by LARSOA.

"It’s all very well telling businesses that they should be doing something about ORR, but it’s not easy for some companies – particularly smaller ones - to know where to start," explains Stuart Hallett, who heads up the working group.

The group is in the process of producing an interactive CD, comprising three main sections - focusing on the vehicle, the driver and ORR policy - with further sub-sections.

"We are producing the resource to help organisations to develop policies and best practice to help drive down their business risk," Stuart Hallett explains. "The CD will contain a simple guide and description of the issues, web links to useful sites, a framework for policies the user can complete and adopt, Powerpoint presentations for senior managers, line managers and employees, and other documentation and analysis tools."

The CD, ‘driving your business risk down - understanding occupational road risk - a guide for employers’ - is currently under development and should be available in May 2003. Anyone wanting to know more about the resource, or wishing to pre-order, should contact Stuart Hallett by email, stuart.hallett.pt@norfolk.gov.uk.

RoSPA
RoSPA is very active in this area and is campaigning to encourage employers to manage the risks faced by their staff driving company vehicles or private vehicles for work purposes. To this end it has produced a series of publications, most significantly ‘Managing Risk on the Road’. The Association has also issued supplementary guidance on preventing inappropriate use of speed, falling asleep at the wheel, and ensuring driver competence. This guidance is available in PDF format from www.rospa.com.

In another of its publications, ‘Managing Occupational Road Risk: The story so far’, RoSPA sets out the basis for ensuring that occupational road risk is addressed as part of mainstream health and safety management.

RoSPA has also launched a new series of awards – the MORR awards – focusing on fleet safety. Companies are encouraged to apply for the MORR Awards to demonstrate their high standards and to lead by example. Again, information about the awards can be obtained from the RoSPA website, www.rospa.com.

ORSA
In April 2002, 40 organisations came together to set up of the 'Occupational Road Safety Alliance' (ORSA), which comprises key stakeholders in road and occupational safety. ORSA's broad aims are to: facilitate networking between key stakeholders; encourage joint working on work related road safety; promote the exchange of information on new initiatives and best practice; establish a statement of common goals; organise events; and establish technical co-operation.

ORSA brings together employers, trade unions, local authorities, police forces, safety organisations and professional and trade associations.

It believes, in common with the Government and the Health and Safety Commission, that employers should manage at-work road risk within the framework that they should already have in place for managing other occupational health and safety risks. It stresses that reducing work-related road casualties makes real economic sense for companies - as road crashes cost time and money in terms of absent staff, lost production and damage to commercial reputation.

ORSA encourages employers to develop a systematic approach to managing occupational road risk, for example by:

• gathering and analysing key safety and risk data with regard to vehicles, journeys, drivers, crashes, causes and costs

• setting and communicating clear corporate road safety objectives

• ensuring everyone understands their role in achieving them

• introducing targeted safety measures based on suitable risk assessment

• monitoring performance and learning from accidents and incidents

• carrying out periodic performance reviews in order to feed back lessons learned

For more information about ORSA, visit www.orsa.org.uk.

The Work Related Road Safety Task Group (WRRSTG)
The Government's independent Work Related Road Safety Task Group (WRRSTG) has made a number of recommendations, including urging employers to manage risks faced (and created) by their employees while at work on the road as part of their overall management of occupational health and safety.

Specifically, WRRSTG has recommended:

• the publication by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) of appropriate guidance for employers on their duties to manage risk on the road

• a major programme of awareness raising

• further research

• and enforcement liaison between health and safety and road safety enforcers

It has also recommended that a successor body to WRRSTG be established, led by HSE, to oversee implementation of these recommendations.

Conclusion
All of the organisations involved in this emerging area of road safety work stress that employers are responsible for ensuring high standards of health, safety and welfare for employees using vehicles as part of their work. The challenge is to gain acceptance of this principle – to ensure that companies take their road risk responsibilities as seriously as other H&S issues.

After all, if an offence is committed the employer may be held as responsible as the employee - corporate responsibility is now recognised in an increasing number of cases coming before the Courts.