• RFU & Masterlease Approved
• NO ROOM FOR SHOWROOM EXCESS
• Scrappage extended
• Recall of Toyota vehicles

• Risky Business

• ‘BANGER ANGER’
• Frosty the 'No' Man

Risky Business

For many organisations the pressure to cut costs has resulted in a reduction in headcount with a disproportional drop in workload, meaning that remaining employees may be busier as they absorb the left-over activity. For those employees who drive for business, this may mean longer working days and higher annual mileages.

In certain industry sectors where driving is an intrinsic part of the job, such as sales and marketing and the trades, this may translate into more hours on the road as employees squeeze an extra sales appointment in at 6.30pm in an effort to hit their targets.

We are all working harder it seems. A recent survey conducted by Water Wellpoint showed that 1 in 4 people work overtime every day,which suggests that for those people who are still working, longer hours are becoming standard practice.

Businesses need to be aware of their responsibilities in relation to their workers and in light of the corporate manslaughter act, how they will do all that is reasonably possible to ensure that their employees stay safe on the roads and are fit to drive.

Much has been said in the past about the dangers of driving ‘the morning after the night before’ but is ‘driving the night following a really long day’ just as bad? By requiring longer working hours are we responsible for tired and jaded drivers hitting the roads? Recent research by the DfT shows that about 300 people are killed each year as a result of drivers falling asleep at the wheel and about 4 in 10 of these crashes involve someone driving a commercial vehicle.1

It was recently announced that the UK's opt-out from the European Working Time Directive will remain in place after attempts by the European Parliament to phase it out failed. However, unions say the UK has the longest working hours of any country in Europe, leading to more workplace accidents and hindering rather than improving productivity.

Current HSE guidance states that the HSE should be contacted in a driving for work accident when there is ‘sufficient indication that failures in safety management by the employer have significantly contributed to the incident and these failures cannot be addressed by the cause and permit provisions in the road traffic legislation and that the risks are foreseeable and beyond the direct control of the driver.’

Masterlease’s advice would be to assess your current working practices, particularly if you have revised your job descriptions recently as a result of the recession. It may be that you need to update your driving for work policy and add guidance for workers who are working longer hours. A compromise may be that you offer accommodation or overnight night stays when a worker is a long way from home. By making sure that all business drivers are given the best possible advice we can ensure our staff are fit to drive and don’t need to take risks.
 
ENDS

Notes to editors
1. Data taken from DFT Road Research Report No. 51