Managing the risks

Whilst employers cannot exercise the same control over hazards to employees when driving or riding at work, as in the workplace, there are practicable steps which they should take to reduce the risks.

Work-related road safety can only be effectively controlled if it is integrated into arrangements for managing health and safety at work. By way of illustration, an employer should take account of the total number of hours worked, and not just the number of hours spent at the wheel, when planning driving schedules.

The risk section of the HSE website contains practical advice on how to carry out a risk assessment and links to helpful free publications.

There are also many business benefits in managing work-related road safety, no matter the size of your business. For example:

• fewer days lost due to injury;
• fewer vehicles off the road for repair;
• fewer missed orders;
• less need for investigation and follow up.