HEALTH & SAFETY @ LITTLE FRANCE MANAGEMENT OF ROAD RISK

HEALTH & SAFETY @ LITTLE FRANCE

MANAGEMENT OF ROAD RISK

Welcome to an on-linehealth and safety training

package intended primarily for staff who use motor

vehicles for work-related purposes.

Information contained within these pages is for use by University of Edinburgh staff and students only.

This on-line training package is not a substitute for any more detailed training that may be

suggested or organised by senior managers.

Last updated: November 2013



Please take time to view the following material, and direct any urgent questions to your H&S Advisor,

Supervisor, Senior Manager, or the Little France Buildings H&S

Manager (the contact details for whom are shown on the penultimate

page of this presentation).

Thank you



Accidents on the UK’s roads are worryingly commonplace.

Ten years ago, in a single year, 3 431 people were killed and 35 976 people were seriously injured on our roads.

The trend has not necessarily been significantly downwards since then.



It has been estimated that between one quarter and one third of those deaths involved people who were working when the accident happened.



At mileages above 25 000 miles per annum, levels of risk of fatal injury are equivalent to those faced by workers in high hazard activities such as construction or quarrying.



Work related road accidents are the biggest cause of work-related accidental death with, on average, up to twenty people likely to be dying in work related road crashes every week compared with less than seven fatalities notifiable under RIDDOR*.

That makes work-related driving the biggest single safety issue for many UK businesses.



* The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995

While use of road vehicles for work-related purposes associated with this campus is relatively light, it’s clear that we must take this matter as seriously as any other aspect of all that we do here.



And the principles and practice of Risk Assessment can be applied for the management of road risk every bit as easily and sensibly as for other aspects of the work that we do within our buildings.





1. Identify the hazards.2. Decide who might be harmed

and how.3. Evaluate the risks and decide

on precautions.4. Record your findings and

implement them.5. Review and update as

necessary.

Consider also the hierarchy of controls:



• Elimination• Reduce/Replace (substitution)• Isolate/Innovate• Control• PPE (policy and procedures)• Discipline

ERICPreventsDeath

In that context, the first question to be asked, and be seen to be asked and answered, is whether the journey is even necessary.

Are there not other ways in which information might be shared or material transported?



Has teleconferencing been considered?

Might not a courier be able to transport packages?

Might not the meeting be arranged for a time when it might be less difficult to make the journey?



Is the train or another form of public transport feasible to get you where you need to go?



In addition to the health and safety implications, consider also the cost of the journey and the environmental impact of the choice that you make.

But, having asked and answered those questions, and the conclusion having been reached that a car journey truly is unavoidably necessary, it is then sensible (and necessary in the context of health and safety law) to undertake the task in the safest way possible.



In Little France we have access to a pool car. There are several management systems in place to ensure that the vehicle is fit for purpose and that drivers are properly qualified to drive it; these include:• Regular safety checks of the vehicle;• Pre-planned programme of maintenance; and • Periodic reinspection of drivers’ licenses.



All drivers must hold a valid drivinglicence for the class of vehicles thatthey are asked or allowed to drive.



Pool car drivers who have had their licences withdrawn by the authorities, for whatever reason (including medicalreasons), must declare that fact to the relevant Vehicle Coordinator, as the ban applies equally to work-relateddriving as it does to personal use ofvehicles.

Before even starting up the pool car, be sure that you’ve completed all relevant paperwork and safety checks, and that you are thoroughly familiar with the controls (light switches, for example, might be in a completely different position from those in your own car, and you don’t want to be struggling to locate these if driving conditions suddenly deteriorate in bad weather).



But it might be your own car that you’re going to be using to make the journey. Nevertheless, you must still be confident that:• You have carried out a thorough safety check of your vehicle before starting the journey;• Your vehicle is subject to a regular pre- planned programme of maintenance; and • You have a current and valid driver’s license and all relevant insurance cover.





Is the vehicle fit for purpose?

• Does the car have a valid MOT certificate (if required)?• Has the car been properly serviced, with checks having been made by a competent person for correct operation of brakes, steering, suspension, lights, seat belts etc?



• Checks should be made before each journey of oil, coolant and washer water levels, and tyre pressures and tread depths, as well as the correct operation of lights, seat belts etc.• Problems with any one of these should be dealt with before commencing the journey.

What things need to be checked?



Wear your seat belt at all times when

driving!



Are you fit to drive?

• How much sleep did you get last night?• How much alcohol did you drink, and can you be certain that it has all cleared from your system?• Are you taking medication that might affect your ability to drive safely, especially if it’s going to be a long drive?



• Has your eyesight been checked relatively recently, and is it okay for driving?• Do you have any medical condition that makes it particularly inadvisable for you to miss eating at regular intervals or for you to avoid becoming over-tired?



• Have you allowed time for rest breaks? • If it’s going to be a long drive, have you allowed yourself sufficient time to reach your destination?• If it’s going to entail an over-night stop, try not to push to maximise the distance travelled on any one day just to be as close as possible to your final destination.



• Comply with all legal road traffic restrictions, including the published speed limit.

Speed Limits

• For the sake of your car too, take extra care when driving over speed bumps.



• Are you likely to be distracted by incoming cellular telephone calls (remembering that you should not be making these either in a moving vehicle, or even when waiting at traffic lights).• Eating and drinking while driving are also more likely to result in an accident.

What else might cause distraction?



Have you planned the journey?• Think the journey through before leaving, and anticipate possible congestion due to rush hours, road works etc, aiming to avoid these wherever possible. Traffic bulletins from local radio may be helpful.• If unfamiliar with the intended route, take a map … but don’t attempt to read it while you’re driving!



Are you transporting material?

• Is there a manual handling aspect to the task? • Have you secured the load so that it will not break loose if you have to brake suddenly?



• Consider the possibility that assistance you were given to load the vehicle might not be available at your destination.• Special safety-related considerations apply if hazardous substances are involved.• Consider taking a lightweight trolley to help transport loads when you reach your destination

Fuel

• Take care not to end up with an empty tank. Refuel in good time, especially if there might be some distance to travel before the next set of pumps.• Petrol stations are often useful sources of help if you have become lost.



Personal Security• Remember that you are likely to be, in effect, lone-working, and take all reasonable precautions, perhaps including regular pre-arranged contact with a colleague, family member or friend until you get back to base or return home.• Drive or walk away from situations that seem threatening.• Lock the car when you are inside.



• Do not ostentatiously display your keys when walking to and from your parked car.• Don’t leave valuables on display in the car.• Park close to street lighting at night.• Ticketed, supervised, well-lit car parks, equipped with CCTV, are generally far better options that parking in side- streets.



• Travel with a colleague, where possible, perhaps also sharing the burden of driving, or at least ask someone with whom you feel safe to walk with you to where your car is parked. • Report suspicious circumstances to the Police, and call them for assistance if you feel threatened or vulnerable in any way.



First Aid

• A first aid box should be carried in vehicles used for work-related purposes.• Report all accidents, and “near miss” occurrences, using the on-line form at:

http://www.safety.ed.ac.uk/



Reporting accidents is particularly important in the context of managing road risk, since it is possible that this may be mandatory in the context of the Reporting of Injuries Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), where there has been actual injury to any person, as well as the need to inform insurers (UofE’s insurer if it’s a pool car, and your own insurer if you have been using your own vehicle), and possibly also the Police, regardless of whether or not there has been any actual injury to you or other road users.



Have a safe and pleasant journey ...



unlike this driver.

Lindsay MurrayHealth & Safety Manager,The University of Edinburgh,College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine(Chancellor’s Building, Medical School and Queen’s Medical Research Institute),Little France

Room SU215, Chancellor’s BuildingExt: [email protected]



You have now completed this on-line training package

summarising health and safety factors applicable to

management of road risk. Please also attend any additional

training that may be organised by your senior manager.

Thank you



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HEALTH & SAFETY @ LITTLE FRANCE MANAGEMENT OF ROAD RISK

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