Health and safety
It’s your responsibility to make sure your staff are safe in all vehicles used for work.
The Health & Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSAW) requires that officers and directors of the company must ensure the provision of any information, training, instruction, or supervision, that is necessary to protect all persons from risks to their health and safety arising from work carried out as part of the conduct of their business.
Who your drivers are
The new Act means you must take all reasonable steps to ensure your staff are safe when driving on behalf of the company. It applies to anyone who drives for work, including:
- commercial drivers: professional drivers whose vehicles are operating in a licensed transport service, e.g. truck, van, taxi, bus and emergency service.
- drivers of company-owned or pool vehicles including sales people and mobile service providers
- occasional drivers whose main jobs are not driving for the company but who may drive from time to time between offices using company-owned vehicles.
- "own vehicle" drivers who have a car allowance or drive their own vehicle occasionally to travel for work.
You will need a safe driving policy to comply with HSAW
If you have a safe driving policy, it can protect your staff and enhance your reputation, both within your own company and with your customers.
AA Driver Training can assist you to develop a safe driving policy and therefore help you become compliant with the new provisions in the HSAW Act.
We have a quick guide to help you develop your own safe driving policy and we have a sample safe driving policy to get you started.
Part of any good safe driving policy includes:
- Assessment of driver’s capabilities and level of competence
- Practical and theoretical training.
AA Driver Training for Fleets and Businesses has the products and services to help you.
Safe Driving Policy recommendations
Our recommendations will guide you on the right path to creating a Safe Driving Policy for your own company.
Create a Safe Driving Policy
Need a little help getting started? AA Driver Training has put together a sample template that can be amended to suit your company requirements.
