| With nearly 90 years of experience in training
drivers, BSM has come up with a solution to ensure fleet controllers
manage their health and safety obligations |
Tuition for employees could
include vehicle familiarisation |
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| Under the planned legislation,
a company could be convicted of Corporate Manslaughter,
if it grossly breaches its duty of care to maintain the
proper standards of health and safety |
|
It’s well known that under Health and Safety at Work Regulations
1999, employers have a responsibility to manage health and safety
effectively, and that these legal obligations apply as much to
employees who drive as part of their job as they do to employees
who work in a factory or office environment. Consequently, employers
need to manage road hazards in the same way that they manage other
occupational health and safety risks. Every employer has a legal
responsibility to make regular assessments of the risks to the
health and safety of their employees while at work – including
when driving – and to take remedial action as necessary. New laws
What is less well known is that the law is getting even
tougher. Following the Law Commission’s recommendation of
a new offence of Corporate Manslaughter, a Draft Corporate Manslaughter
Bill has now been issued. Under the planned legislation, a company
could be convicted of Corporate Manslaughter, if it grossly breaches
its duty of care to maintain the proper standards of health and
safety. Needless to say, this will place a huge burden of responsibility
on the company. Fortunately, BSM has already developed solutions
to the problems that these current and new rules pose.
90 years’ experience
While we’re probably best known for teaching learner drivers,
BSM is also one of the largest providers of training for driving
instructors, and we have been training experienced drivers for
nearly a century. Over the years, we’ve also played an active
role in lobbying the government on road safety and learner driver-related
issues. Drawing from this wealth of experience, we’ve created
the Fleet Driver Assessment CD ROM to assist today’s fleet
managers in dealing with the requirements placed on them by the
1999 Health and Safety at Work Regulations and advice contained
in the 2003 HSE Driving at Work document – Managing Work-Related
Road Safety.
First step
BSM’s state-of-the-art computer-based assessment tool for
measuring driver’s skills, knowledge and attitude is the
first step in meeting ever-more stringent health and safety regulations.
The four-stage programme on the Fleet Driver Assessment CD ROM
takes an occupational driver 60 minutes to complete. The fleet
controller is sent a detailed report on all drivers, making clear
the relative performance of all employees and offering recommendations
for further training where appropriate.
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| “Organisations will be reducing
the risk factor associated with those drivers most likely
to be involved in an accident” |
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Informed decisions
The completed assessment benchmarks participants
against a BSM database of 5,000 drivers, which helps the fleet
controller to know where available driver training money should
be targeted. Each employee also receives immediate individual feedback.
By using four quite different assessment tools within the overall
package, BSM’s new programme is unparalleled in the UK, and is the
most comprehensive tool available. As well as assessing a driver’s
cognitive skills through 12 mental tasks that relate directly to
driving – including visual scanning and speed estimation
to predict an employee’s performance – the programme
also includes assessment of hazard perception skills, with drivers
being asked to identify potential road risks using video clips.
In addition, the assessment includes a psychometric test to identify
a driver’s attitude to risk, and multiple-choice questions
to clarify knowledge of driving theory and The Highway Code. Reducing risks
Once the fleet controller has the information on
all employees, we recommend that the company start with those employees
who have scored least effectively on the assessment tool. The organisation
will then be reducing the risk factor associated with those drivers
most likely to be involved in an incident. Tuition for employees
could range from additional PC-based training to vehicle familiarisation,
aimed at staff new to the UK or with a new vehicle; or on-road
assessment and development sessions, under the watchful eye of
a qualified trainer. Drivers scoring highly in the assessment are
deemed least at risk, and as a result are unlikely to require follow-up
training.
Essential tool
Our Fleet Driver Assessment CD ROM is a solution
for fleet controllers and executives who are unsure how to meet
and prioritise health and safety laws. It is an essential tool
for every business, no matter how large or small.
For more information:
Call: 0845 300 2009
E-mail: fleettraining@bsm.co.uk
Website: www.bsmfleettraining.co.uk
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