Taking responsibility

Key messages

Take overall responsibility

Employers need to take responsibility for safety and show their commitment by example and in everyday decisions. For example:

Allocate specific responsibilities

Employers should clearly allocate responsibilities for health and safety management. All employees, contractors, subcontractors, visiting drivers, maintenance staff and other workers must clearly understand their responsibilities for maintaining a safe workplace and safe working practices. For example:

Consider dividing the workplace (including car parks, access roads, weighbridges, lay-bys and other areas) into areas where managers are responsible for carrying out risk assessments, taking action, and maintaining and repairing features. Show these areas on a drawing to which everyone has easy access and include the whole area of the workplace.

Enforcement

However responsibility for transport safety is arranged, it is important that people are held accountable. Employers and managers need to make sure that everyone is held responsible for their duties and knows what will happen if they fail to carry them out. Performance agreements, appraisals and so on should include safety-related responsibilities, for managers and supervisors as well as other workers. There should be clear penalties for poor performance, and rewards for good performance.

Resources

2021-11-17