Managing your fleet: How to Ensure Employee Safety

It’s imperative as a business owner or health and safety manager that you have a clear plan and guidelines when it comes to the security and safety of your employees driving your fleet. As an employer it is your responsibility, as part of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, to ensure the safety of your employees while driving at work.

Driving and using a company fleet poses many risks, from accidents on the road to injuries in the workplace. Therefore, you need to take steps to prevent any of these from occurring or to have plans in place should they happen. Here’s how to ensure employee safety while utilising your vehicle fleet:

Training Only appropriately trained individuals should be driving vehicles that you have bought or leased for business. This includes everything from pool cars to diggers to HGVs depending on your industry. Either employ people with the correct qualifications or consider offering training to those already working with you to expand your driver options.

Vehicle check ups Before vans or lorries are allowed to be driven for business they should undergo rigorous checks to ensure they are safe to drive. This includes checking whether they are fit for the road, in a good enough condition for the job at hand and competent for the purpose they are intended for. Check hotspots for wear and tear such as tyres and their pressure, oil and brake pads.

Plan journeys carefully It’s important that those on the road are not taking on longer journeys than necessary, to avoid fatigue and loss of concentration while behind the wheel. Employee checks should also be carried out to ensure they are competent enough to drive; their general health should be taken into consideration as well as their eyesight to prevent tragic accidents which could have been avoided.

Safety gear Certain vehicles require certain safety precautions and gear; those driving a large digger for example will need to wear a high-vis jacket to ensure they are visible at all times while moving around the workspace and vehicles. Hard hats are also necessary when driving certain vehicles and on some sites, so ensure your staff are aware and taking these precautions.

Safety equipment in vehicles Vehicles can come with all manner of safety equipment these days or you could have it installed. Consider parking sensors to ensure no damage comes to the vehicle or those around it and if you have a fleet of HGVs then 360° cameras are an excellent idea as they allow the driver to see all angles of the vehicle – which is particularly helpful if your business is based in London to help your drivers notice cyclists riding alongside them.

Employee safety is important. Introduce these steps to managing the wellbeing of your fleet and staff and there should be no issues in the future.