Driving safely for work

For those that drive for a living – whether it involves vans, cars, or HGVs,– it may be completely unremarkable to work alone for hours on end.

A lone worker is someone who works out of sight or earshot of their colleagues for some or all of their day. Lone working, by its nature, can increase the risk of serious injury by lowering levels of oversight and increasing response times to potential emergencies.

For lone workers in the transport industry, threats will tend to come from other traffic, but there may also be hazards off the road. Workers who drive off-road in forestry may face difficult driving conditions-vehicle recovery, aggression from members of the public, and injuries while unloading/strapping timber/machines.

The Health and Safety Executive (states that ‘Driving for work’ is ‘one of the most dangerous things workers will do’) lays out very clear responsibilities for employers in this sector.

For example, ‘Driving and riding safely for work’ outlines the following four focus points:

1. Plan and manage journeys
2. Make sure drivers and riders are safe
3. Look after your workers’ health
4. Make sure vehicles used to drive or ride for work are safe

When considering your responsibilities, it is important to remember that “Health and safety law applies to work activities on the road in the same way as it does on a fixed site”. The haulage industry is of course subject to additional layers of operational compliance.

This means that employers in haulage and those driving for work need to assess in their risk assessment, their employees’ potential risks, and take steps to mitigate them. Employers need to consider common risks such as:

• Fatigue, stress and mental health – employees who are on the road for large swathes of time, as well as ones who work unusual hours, are particularly prone to experiencing fatigue, stress and other risks to their mental health.
• Competence and training - training may include everything from vehicle use, to using PPE, driving hours, and load security (strapping).
• Working alone –lone working regulations are the same for someone working in a vehicle as for someone working at a fixed site, by the side of the road, or on a forestry site.
• Overnighting – make sure you have a clear method of contact and suitable pre-arranged overnight stop.

Finally, it should be noted that the duty of care and safeguarding in transportation also extends to customers, be they passing public/ forest leisure users(walkers, cyclists, horse riders) or people receiving deliveries.

Lone working policy

Employers should develop a lone working policy that prepares their staff for all eventualities they might encounter as a lone worker in the transport sector.

If your employee is in a traffic accident, is unwell or simply takes a fall, and they are incapacitated, how will you know there is an issue?  While phone calls are good for checking in, reception can vary, they should not be used on the move, and they may not offer a robust solution in the case of raising the alarm in an emergency or accident.