AIRSO has a 500-strong membership working for safety on the road

“We balance our responsibilities for safety with what is practical”

A council of management runs AIRSO, but its key committee is the 17-strong Road Safety Group, whose members include driver training and risk management professionals, road safety officers, highway engineers, fleet operators and police officers. Secretary Graham Feest says: “We are available to be consulted by any organisation or individual that is seeking comment, guidance or support/endorsement about a particular idea or initiative which will have an impact on road safety. “This service is available free of charge and, using the wide range of expertise available through the AIRSO Road Safety Group, the association seeks to give an honest opinion together with guidance if appropriate about such proposals.

“We have the broadest range of expertise available of anyone involved in road safety, but as road safety professionals we are always learning from our members and that is important and will help us gain further recognition.” David Vallender, health and safety officer at Hampshire County Council and AIRSO portfolio holder for health and safety/managing occupational road risk, says one of the organisation’s key roles is responding to the huge number of government consultation documents published.

AIRSO has a broad range of road safety expertise available

“As road safety professionals, we are always learning from our members”

But, he says: “We are in the position of not being a utopia road safety organisation because we balance our responsibilities for safety with what is practical and that is because we have a diverse membership.” The government estimates that around 20 fatalities and 250 serious injuries on the roads each week are work-related. Historically, many companies have believed – and were told – that the solution to improving at-work driving road safety was to pay for all their employees to undertake driver training. AIRSO, a registered charity, says it has been focusing on at-work driver safety long before it became a headline-grabbing issue and that it had long stated that driver training was not the panacea for all ills – something that providers have only more recently admitted.

While many safety initiatives are cost-related, they bring long-term financial and employer/employee benefits, although says Mr Vallender: “Company bosses have to be very enlightened to see the benefits that may take two, three or four years to accrue. But AIRSO can help fleet operators see the long-term benefits.” Graham Hurdle, managing director of Pro-Drive and portfolio holder for education and training, says: “We need to advise companies that they don’t need to spend a fortune on occupational road risk management to be ‘legal’. “They need to be ‘legal’ to start to reap the benefits of a good risk management strategy and, in later years, they can invest more money in procedures.”

Crucially, says Mr Feast, many organisations could introduce 10 measures in the next month and, apart from an investment in time, the initiatives are cost free (see table below). Key to establishing an initial occupational road-risk strategy, says AIRSO, is to ensure data relating to vehicle operations, crashes and collisions and staff journey patterns is available. Mr Hurdle explains: “Companies, particularly smaller businesses, do not have any relevant data available so they have no idea of the measures they need to take or the impact they will have.

“The starting point for all businesses should be: where are they now – current experience and what is the cost.” He adds: “We are up against an apathy problem and the fact that many companies do not realise that they have an occupational road-risk problem.” To help fleets – car and light vans, hauliers, motorcycle couriers and taxi firms and bus operators – establish occupational road risk strategies, AIRSO has published a guide entitled Working for Safety on the Road.

Metropolitan police officer Ian Kerr, who is also the motorcycling portfolio holder, explains: “It is difficult to change an industry, so only through education and improving awareness will safety improve in businesses where speed is of the essence.” He believes that one way to improve road safety in this sector is for contracting companies to set expected supplier standards embracing health and safety and duty of care. Other crucial areas for employees responsible for fleet operations and at-work drivers include ensuring that employees who drive their own cars on business have the correct insurance cover, driving licences are current and vehicles are maintained in accordance with the law and manufacturer standards.

In addition, that the growing influx of foreign bus and truck drivers have the correct qualifications and documentation. But, as many small and medium-sized businesses do not have a full-time fleet operator, Ian Powell, senior road safety officer, Hertfordshire County Council, says: “Many people who are responsible for workplace safety are working in a vacuum and don’t know where they can go for advice and help.” With the enforcement of at-work driving standards seemingly low on the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) priority list, it is increasingly being left to the police to enforce standards. But, argues Mr Vallender: “Occupational road risk should not be a low priority for the HSE. It should be at the top of their agenda. There is no other work activity that accounts for 20 fatalities and 250 serious injuries every week.”

Mr Kerr concurs, saying: “The only time enforcement comes to light is when there is a fatality and the accident becomes a crime scene. But businesses can become proactive and not reactive by taking occupational road safety seriously.” However, ultimately, says AIRSO: “Only when the courts begin to apply adequate punishments for negligence and corporate failure to act appropriately will we see the necessary culture change.”

Further information on AIRSO is available at: E-mail: airso@talk21.com Website: www.airso.org.uk