6 minute read
Understand good practice and get free resources in the Driver Safety Zone
The Health & Safety Event is the UK’s largest gathering of anyone responsible for running a safe and efficient workplace. While delegates may come to hear about new personal protective equipment and safe lifting devices, this is where they can also learn about their biggest work-place risk – driving for work.
Over the three days, in the Driver Safety Theatre, Driving for Better Business will help health and safety professionals understand the common weaknesses of many organisations whose employees use vehicles for their job and, most importantly, how to create a ‘good practice’ driving for work policy. This is a vital tool for achieving legal compliance, building a safe driving culture, and setting out the standards expected of drivers.
Each day is centred on a Mock Trial – an eye-opening walkthrough of a serious road incident that results in the company’s safety management systems coming under scrutiny, and highlighting key areas where employers fail to meet their obligations.
Driving for Better Business will then demonstrate a brand-new online resource that employers can use for free to write, review and communicate a goodpractice driving for work policy to their workforce.
“This is a major event for us,” says Simon Turner, Campaigns Manager for Driving for Better Business. “Last year, the Mock Trial was a massive draw for visitors, with many commenting that they would like their senior team to have the same experience so they could understand the risks and weaknesses in their driver management culture and to recognise that legal responsibility for driver safety sits at the top of the company in the same way that any other occupational health and safety issue does. In response to that, we’re running the mock trial on each of the three days of the show with a different follow-on session each day covering driving for work policy, legal compliance and internal incident investigation.”
“In addition, we are launching a free, clear and practical toolkit to help organisations create a robust policy, adapt it to their own company profile and get critical alerts when official guidance or legislation changes that could affect the policy.”
The Driver Safety Theatre features a three-day programme packed with presentations from driver safety leaders and legal experts including:
Prof Tim Marsh, Managing Director at Anker Marsh
Kanwal Kanda, Head of Transport at the Health and Safety Executive
Charlotte Le Maire, a specialist criminal and regulatory lawyer and barrister
Mel Clarke, Health, Safety and Wellbeing Director at National Highways
John Wilkinson, Driver Safety and Performance Manager for Northern Powergrid
Duncan McNicol, Head of Risk and Compliance at CBES Ltd
Pete Rushmer, Managing Director at Flagship Partners
Dr Lisa Dorn, Associate Professor of Driver Behaviour at Cranfield University and Founder and Director at PsyDrive
Prof. Clare Anderson, Professor of sleep and circadian science at Birmingham University
Karl Wilshaw, Fleet Director at Travis Perkins
Kate Walker, Managing Director of the Diabetes Safety Organisation
Anne-Marie Penny, DfBB Programme Manager for National Highways
Tavid Dobson, Road Safety Lead at Rail Safety & Standards Board
Dai Fussell, Head of Compliance for the UK Civil Service
Andrew Drewary, Managing Director of Road Safety Smart, multi-award-winning road safety specialist in collision/incident investigation
The theatre is part of the wider Driver Safety Zone where Driving for Better Business is also bringing together a range of expert partners to give guidance to event visitors on how to manage driver safety effectively. RED Driver Training, IAM RoadSmart, Flagship Partners, CheckedSafe, Randox and Drivetech will all be exhibiting in the Driver Safety Zone.
Driving for Better Business is a free to access National Highways programme to help employers reduce work-related road risk, protecting staff who drive or ride for work, and others who they may share the road with.
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The Driver Safety Theatre Mock Trial
On a day that started out just like any other, Bob Adams, a van driver very similar to many of those that work for you, begins his day’s work schedule. Some very common examples of poor driver safety management align and result in a serious incident involving a cyclist – but was it the driver’s fault or what is the employers? We examine what went wrong, why it went wrong, and what a subsequent investigation and prosecution could look like. More importantly, we look at what companies should be doing to avoid a similar scenario happening to them.
A common piece of feedback from last year’s mock trial was ‘That was such a good presentation – I wish my directors had been here to see that!’ This year, we’re running a mock trial at 10:30 on each of the three days. This is an excellent chance to get your directors to understand full scope of work-related road risk and to ask questions of our legal experts.
The Mock Trial is presented by Simon Turner, Campaign manager for Driving for Better Business and Charlotte Le Maire of LMP Legal. Charlotte is a specialist criminal and regulatory lawyer and barrister. She is frequently instructed to provide critical advice in the immediate aftermath of a serious or fatal incident. She is recognised nationally as a leader in the field of Fleet Risk and is regularly invited by corporates, insurers, brokers and fleet risk charities to provide training in relation to road safety matters, as well as providing practical solutions to criminal and regulatory challenges.
Free resources including access to the Driving for Better Business Policy Builder
The Driving for Better Business team will be launching a brand new, online tool that employers can use for free to write, review and communicate a goodpractice driving for work policy to their workforce. Having a policy is a legal requirement, as is keeping it up to date, and communicating it effectively to drivers. This new resource is free to access and will allow you to:
Access a driving for work policy template and checklist
Create a policy document that meets legal and compliance standards;
Get email alerts for any changes in guidance or legislation that could affect your policy;
Receive an annual reminder to review your policy, along with any changes that may be required since the last review.
