I’ve always loved cars. As long as I was old enough to drive one, I’ve loved the smell, the touch, and the sounds. But not all people see them in the way that I do, some only identify motor vehicles as a method of getting from point A, to point B.

Unfortunately for many workers, driving a motor vehicle is an accident waiting to happen. In 2014 alone, 49 truck drivers and 18 workers in cars were killed while working.

Many businesses utilise the humble motor carriage to shuffle their staff from A to B, with preferably as little fuss and bills as possible. In the last ten years, two thirds of all workplace fatalities involved a vehicle and in 2014, out of the 188 fatalities that occurred in the workplace, 61% (116) of fatalities involved a vehicle.

Needless to say after reading the above statistics, your business has an obligation to ensure that staff that utilise motor vehicles are kept safe. I find it quite surprising given these numbers when I visit businesses; most don’t factor in vehicle safety in any form. Sure, there are the odd licence checks upon employment, but other than that? Not a lot. This is despite the fact that on average, half of all new motor vehicles purchased in Australia are bought by businesses.

So what should we be doing as a business?

There are the processes that should be in place at the outset. For example; licence, registration and insurance. These need to be checked regularly and to ensure the process is systematic, it is recommended that a software program be utilised to keep track of all staff and ensure monitoring is occurring.

Then we get into more complicated matters that I don’t often find being implemented by any business. These could include:

• Advanced driver training;
• Drug and alcohol testing;
• Lone worker provisions (or procedures for working in isolation);
• GPS tracking on vehicles’; and
• Training in basic vehicle maintenance etc.

The highest priorities might not always be what you think, for example, drug use is now a more prevalent factor in road accidents than not wearing seat belts.

We must remember that by the very definition, a workplace is “any place where a worker goes and includes a vehicle”. I can imagine you reading this thinking, “I’ve trained our staff in Safety Data Sheets and Manual Handling!” But how many of you have trained your staff on how to change a tyre?

Safety Australia Group has developed a framework for vehicle safety program which is able to be implemented in your business. We start with an analysis of your current practices and procedures, and then develop a framework for future improvement.

Article written by Scott Bruce, Senior WHS Consultant

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