Croner urges employers to wake up to vehicle sleeping dangers

Employers could be facing crippling financial penalties or even jail sentences if they do not wake up to the dangers of tiredness among company car drivers, warns leading UK health and safety experts, Croner.

The advice to thousands of employers across Britain follows the release of new figures showing that falling asleep at the wheel is the cause of around 20% of accidents on long journeys on major roads and motorways.

The findings appear in the latest company car driversí survey by the RAC Foundation and www.companycardriver.co.uk

It revealed that 10% of company car drivers admitted to having previously fallen asleep at the wheel.

Night time driving is the greatest period of danger with many admitting that they had dozed off behind the wheel between midnight and 6 am.

And the problem can only get worse suggests Croner as the UKís long working hours culture sees more people tired and driving later into the evening on increasingly busy roads.

The company is urging employers to be aware of the potential problem, reminding them of their health and safety responsibilities for occupational driving so that they donít fall foul of the law.

Trevor Davies, health and safety officer at Croner, says: ìDriving is one of the most dangerous work activities and these latest figures reinforce the message that the safety of company vehicle drivers should be paramount for employers.

He warns of a common misconception among employers regarding their responsibilities for work driving, adding:

ìEmployers shouldnít be fooled that they are only responsible for employees driving company cars, as safety law covers any vehicle which is used for work purposes.

ìWe are alerting employers to ensure that their staff fully understand the rules over work driving before they get behind the wheel on company business.

ìEmployers who donít have a comprehensive occupational driving policy in place risk hefty fines ñ and a possible lengthy jail sentence.

ìMore important, they risk the lives of their employees and other road users such as pedestrians and other drivers.î

Cronerís Occupational Driving Advice:
Under the Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974, employers have a duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all employees, which includes providing information, instruction, training and supervision to ensure safety whilst driving.

Employers must produce a health and safety policy, which includes occupational driving. This should ensure that drivers understand their duties under road traffic legislation to prevent:

the consequences of alcohol and drug use
the effects of speed and traffic levels
the effects of fatigue and stress.

The policy should state that the company has a zero tolerance attitude towards drink driving, or driving whilst under the influence of illegal drugs (which could cover certain prescription and over-the-counter medicines). Any employee found driving with illegal drugs in their bloodstream, or alcohol above the legal maximum level, will be subject to immediate dismissal.

The employer should carry out a risk assessment of each company driver, including those who use their own car for work purposes. The assessment should cover attitudes of the driver towards speeding, alcohol and drug awareness, as well as driving experience and fitness to drive. It should also take into account the journey requirements and the state of the vehicle. Once the risks are identified employers should then take steps to minimise the risk to safety, these can include:

Increasing the awareness of the dangers of:
a) having a couple of alcoholic drinks and driving
b) driving under the influence of drugs, and;
c) speeding

Educating drivers that they canít calculate their alcohol limit

Shake the driverís confidence about their own ërule of thumbí of whatís safe to drink and drive

Get drivers to think about the consequences of being caught.

Employers also have a duty to reduce the risk from fatigue, lone working and the use of mobile phones while driving. Employers seeking to implement an occupational road risk policy are advised to seek professional advice.