Why?..................
The Law
The Health & Safety at Work Act extends to the use of vehicles in the workplace. If you are an employer, you have duties under Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations and related legislation. These include the following:
To assess the risk and reduce it to the lowest reasonably practicable level
To train your drivers in the use of the equipment (especially relevant for non-standard vehicles like 4x4s)
To ensure that vehicles provided are safe, suitable and properly maintained
Vicarious liability for the actions of employees - which means you could be prosecuted for their actions.
The Needs of UK and International Industry
Insurance companies and organisations both national and international such as OGP (International Oil and Gas Producers) also have recommended and mandated standards. Our Fleet Training courses are fully compliant with the requirements of OGP transport safety guidelines and will also meet the standards required by any other organisation which has a mandated driver training requirement.
Economics
Good drivers are safer and cheaper.
Consider the financial effects of an accident involving one of your vehicles:
Lost man-days in event of injury
Bad publicity
Repair costs
Increased insurance premiums
Management resources required to investigate
On a lesser scale, well trained drivers are fuel-efficient, incur fewer repairs and have less minor bumps and scrapes. It all saves money.
Weigh up the cost of a one serious road accident involving one of your employees against the cost of a driver screening and assessment programme!
Personal Safety
Our specialist security trainers can provide training and advice on personal safety on the roads with respect to high-value cargo and vulnerable operatives. It can reduce the risk of theft, road rage and personal injury. (Our trainers are SIA registered close protection specialists.)
Workplace Morale
Happy workers are effective workers. Better training means fewer incidents, less stress, the feeling that you care about them and therefore more flexibility and productivity.
For the Employee
Participation in a driver training and improvement scheme is often met initially with attitudes such as "I am a professional driver - what are you going to teach me that I don't know?" The fact is it never does any harm to have a fresh pair of eyes look at how you do things. Most people take a lot away from well delivered courses and it makes their everyday life more enjoyable, more economical and safer too. Anything that reduces your chances of getting penalty points, having an accident and potentially losing your licence and therefore your job can't be all bad - can it?
What Protec can offer
Our consultants can come into your workplace and take an in-depth look at your transport organisation - whether it be 3 or 4 cars or several hundred.
We can give your drivers an individual assessment in the vehicle. Many companies now offer IT-based profiling and risk evaluation. We believe there is no substitute for getting out on the roads. It is much easier for people to 'play the game' with IT based assessment than when they are in the thick of rush hour traffic! This gives you the confidence that the drivers you have employed are safe, sensible and project the right company image. We also check their licence and eyesight - what they could see when they passed their test 10 years ago may not be so clear now!
We also provide road safety presentations, group or one-to-one defensive driver training, individual remedial (post-accident) training and support for nervous drivers or those who find it hard to stay in control with either speed or attitude.
Furthermore we can have a look at your vehicles, maintenance procedures and general transport organisation. A full written report is provided together with any recommendations which may be made.
What is important though, is that we live in the real world and appreciate the conflicting financial, productivity target and time related pressures placed on today's business. We look at it from both sides to provide workable, sensible solutions.
Protec Training & Consultancy Limited, Craighead Farm, Dalry, Ayrshire, KA24 4LQ Tel: 01294 833648
© Copyright Protec Training & Consultancy Limited 2007.