Driving is the most dangerous work activity that most people do each day. Under the Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, employers have a duty to assess, inform and supervise workers who drive vehicles as part of their work just as they do for workers who use any type of work equipment.
Driving Standards
Almost all (90pc) of road crashes are caused by, or involve human error. More and more crashes are caused by drivers losing control of their vehicles and by careless, reckless or aggressive driving. The most frequently recorded causes of road crashes involving drivers are:
Inattention or distraction
Failure to look
Looked, but did not see
Inappropriate speed
Loss of control of vehicle
Lack of judgement
Failure to yield or give way
Poor manoeuvring
Lack of judgement of own path
Driving assessments should take place at various points:
On recruitment
Regularly (annually at least)
After an accident, incident or violation
Following an adverse report
Following an accident or illness
Staff from overseas, who are new to driving in Ireland
Prioritise highest risk drivers
Based on the results of the driver assessment, managers are now in an informed position to provide targeted, cost effective training. Managers should ensure that those who have been identified as high risk are given help first and that the training they receive addresses issues revealed by the assessment. Following the assessment, training can be customised to suit the individual driver.
In vehicle assessment would benefit those drivers who are considered to be in the high risk category or those who have been involved in a driving incident while driving for work. Picking the right drivers can save you a lot of headaches. We can conduct assessment drivers from your premises and report on the driving standards of potential employees.
Aims:
To enhance practical performance of the driving task by demonstrating good driving technique, assessing weaknesses in driving skills or attitudes, providing corrective tuition and advising on areas requiring further improvement and development.
Scope:
Cost effectiveness is an important consideration when decisions are made on the expenditure of limited resources. In this context it is important to remember the cost savings, particularly in the area of insurance premiums, fuel bills and vehicle repairs which can be achieved by companies which take serious steps to keep their staff secure by improved standards in the task of driving.
A confidential written report will be provided following the assessment.