Employers have a legal responsibility to ensure their employees are working in a safe environment. This is especially true when you employ drivers to deliver your products.
Do you give much thought to the safety of your drivers while they are out on the road? If not then now is definitely the time to start. If your employee has an accident while out driving, it could have a seriously negative impact on your business, not to mention the health of your staff member. However, the good news is there are plenty of ways to increase driver safety and below you’ll discover just some of them.
Ensuring they are fit to drive
One of the first things you need to focus on is whether your employees are actually fit to drive. According to Fleetmatics, one of the main causes of commercial accidents on the road was fatigue. This is often caused by long working hours. Do you do enough to ensure your drivers are taking plenty of breaks while out on the road?
Have you considered their working hours and whether it is legally safe for them to drive? Now is a great time to look at the rota and discuss the importance of taking regular breaks.
Investing in the right equipment
These days there are all kinds of safety equipment available for drivers. Vehicle safety solutions from Brigade include just some of the high quality equipment you should look into.
The company is renowned for its innovative driving safety products, including the reversing camera. Allowing your drivers to get a better look of what is around them, the cameras can potentially help to save lives.
Eliminate distracted driving
A high proportion of motor accidents each year occur when drivers are distracted. Even if you don’t own a fleet, your business could still be held liable for an accident if an employee is carrying out a simple errand on company time. While it can be near enough impossible to monitor what your drivers are doing while out on the road, there is revolutionary technology you can invest in. As featured on the SOTI blog, there are systems which can put a lock on mobile phones and other devices once a vehicle reaches a certain speed.
Driver refresher courses
It never hurts to re-learn certain skills and driving is one of them. Why not ensure your drivers are equipped with advanced driving skills knowledge? There are numerous advanced driving courses available along with refresher courses. This helps give you a peace of mind that all your employees have the necessary skills to ensure they are driving safely. It could also potentially lower your insurance premiums.
Overall, you can never truly eliminate the dangers that come with being on the road. However, it is possible to reduce the risk of an accident by ensuring your employees are fully trained and protected. Taking responsibility and making sure your drivers are well-trained will help to minimise the risk of an accident and also boost your business reputation.
