Driving for Work

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

When there is a RTC (Road Traffic Collision) the costs don’t just stop with the repairs and insurance claims but can escalate. For a small business if a key members of staff is off work for an unexpected period of time due to a crash this could result in a loss of business, which could have severe financial
consequences. Since 6th April 2008, driving at work has fallen under The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 which means that as an employer, you will be responsible for the safety of your workers whist they are driving for work. The Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Act will came into force which means
that as an employer you could be found liable for any injuries or fatalities. This means that if a member of your staff is involved in crash which causes injury to themselves or a member of the public and the driver has had no training, then the your company could be liable.

Therefore managing Health and Safety on the road, is as vital to your employee’s well-being as managing risk in the office, on a site or working in a workshop. By taking an active step in driver training, you are not only reducing costs to your business, but are also helping to protect your employees, keeping them safer, both in work and whilst driving socially.

Grey fleets
If your staff are using their own private cars for business they must be insured for such use. It is also your responsibility to provide adequate training for them because if they are involved in a road traffic collision then you can still be held liable if you fail to provide such training.

  © Road-Survival 2012