Fleet Driver Training
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Nowadays, more and more companies and organisations are exploring the idea of using company vehicles to promote their business. While this can reap huge benefits for a company, it is also accompanied by serious risks. In fact, approximately 65% of accidents on the road involve a company vehicle, and the second biggest cause of fatal accidents in British workplaces is workplace transport. One common cause of company vehicle accidents is driver fatigue. Company car and truck drivers are most at risk of falling asleep at the wheel because of the long distances they are required to travel.
It is essential that any driver is completely aware of how best to avoid road accidents, but it is all too common that company drivers are not fully trained in how to avoid crashes which could have been prevented. This can have massive consequences for a company – not only does it affect employees and their families on a personal level, an accident can have serious financial implications too.
It is an employer’s responsibility to ensure the health and safety all of their employees, and to make sure that the work activities of their employees do not put others at risk. This does not only apply to the workplace – it extends to employees travelling on the road for work purposes.
An employer can increase employee safety on the road by undertaking Fleet Driver Training for their employees. These are comprehensive courses that cover both theory and practical training. The theory training provides an education in avoiding risks while driving, and the practical training involves in-car assessments for individual drivers to make them aware of their responsibilities.
The RoSPA Management of Occupational Road Risk (MORRTM) Course is suitable for those who manage the workload of ‘occupational’ drivers and for those who are responsible for the company vehicles. This course teaches knowledge of current legal requirements and leads to a thorough understanding of the key road risk-related issues. Taking the course will allow delegates to carry out risk assessments for those employees driving for the company.
For anyone with the responsibility for investigating accidents, such as line managers, supervisors and safety representatives, there is RoSPA Accident and Incident Investigation Training. This one day course gives those who take it an understanding of accident investigation and how to prevent accidents, and will enable organisations to meet legal obligations to investigate accidents. This course can also be done within the company in order to train more people at a lower cost. The topics covered by the course include: principles of accident investigation, benefits of accident prevention, basic concepts of human factors, accident reporting and scope of investigation, accident investigation techniques, stages of accident investigation, and practical exercises and case study. While there is no formal assessment for this course, participants will receive a certificate of training.
Added to the clear advantages of avoiding road risk, completion of Fleet Driver Training will also lower insurance costs to a company as their drivers will be more careful and vigilant drivers. This is clearly an essential course for organisations considering company vehicle fleets and one that employers should most certainly consider undertaking.