Many workers as well as managers are provided with a company car/work vehicle to get to and from work, to use when visiting clients, or to use at work as part of the job. Whether you have one or 1,000 vehicles they all need to be fit for purpose and road worthy. The safety of the driver is paramount, as is the safety of other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians on the road with them.
Just like the office or work site, these vehicles are classified as a ‘Workplace’ if work is carried out in them – see (2) (a) below – with requirements under the new legislation as outlined from the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015:
Meaning of workplace
(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, a workplace—
(a) means a place where work is being carried out, or is customarily carried out, for a business or undertaking; and
(b) includes any place where a worker goes, or is likely to be, while at work.
(2) In this section, place includes—
(a) a vehicle, vessel, aircraft, ship, or other mobile structure; and
(b) any waters and any installation on land, on the bed of any waters, or floating on any waters.
Ensuring the vehicle is fit for purpose and road-worthy at all times means you are minimising risk to your driver and to those in proximity to the vehicle. These risks are covered in your Vehicle Safety Checklist and include:
· Tyres – tread, pressure, wear and tear
· Windscreen, Wipers and Mirrors – cleanliness and clarity, wear and tear
· Indicators – hazard lights and working indicators
· Body/Deck – possible corrosion, dents, scratches and broken panels, truck decks and side damage, locks/pins not working
· Lights – clean lenses, working headlights, reversing and brake lights
· Safety Equipment/PPE – basic and specialty items are stored in the vehicle, are up-to-date and in good condition
· Certification/Licences – Road User charges, WOF and Registrations are up-to-date
Record keeping and reporting is essential in all aspects of vehicle use. The driver must also be fit to drive so their health and wellbeing needs to be monitored in case they should not be behind the wheel. Consider fatigue, stress, drug and alcohol consumption, plus their licencing being relevant and up-to-date. And cellphone usage in vehicles requires a company and legal policy that all drivers understand.
Accidents out of your control do happen but if you manage everything in a reasonably practicable way to minimise risks surrounding your vehicle as a workplace, you will hopefully avoid them occurring.