Keeping your workers safe while they’re behind the wheel starts long before keys are in the ignition.

By Tiffany Sloan

As an employer, you need to first identify driving-related hazards they face while driving for work. Then you must take the steps to reduce the risks to your workers and help keep them safe.

Whether your workers drive full time, part time, or only occasionally, road safety is an important part of your health and safety responsibilities.

We asked Trace Acres, program director for Road Safety at Work, to share four tips employers can use to help their employees stay safe while driving for work:

1. Know the types of hazards related to driving.
   
   These are things that could cause harm to any of your employees while they are driving or riding in a work vehicle.
   • Driving- and road-related hazards can include:
     • Unsafe practices such as driving while impaired by substances or fatigue, or while distracted by texts on an electronic device
     • Vehicles with mechanical problems
     • Poor quality of a vehicle’s interior such as the condition of the steering wheel or driver’s seat
     • Road hazards like work zones, weather conditions, limited visibility or traction, pedestrians or animals
2. Identify the specific driving hazards your workers are being exposed to.
   
   Take the following actions to identify the specific hazards your workers may be exposed to:
   • Talk to your drivers and go on a ride with them to learn about driving practices, places, or situations
   • Check vehicle inspection reports to find problems with vehicles
   • Look at reports and investigations of near-miss incidents to understand what caused them
   • Think about unusual or risky driving situations, including changes in routes or vehicles

   Look for common trends that will help you develop action plans and implement safety control measures.

3. Take steps to meet your responsibilities to your workers.
   
   Driving-related risk assessments are part of your responsibilities when your employees do any work-related driving. Based on an assessment, you need to educate workers about the hazards, train them in safe driving policy and procedures, and supervise them to help ensure their safety when driving.
   • Complete a systematic road safety risk assessment by:
     • Identifying driving-related hazards
     • Rating the risk they create. Determine how likely it is for drivers to be exposed to each hazard and how serious the resulting harm could be
     • Setting priorities for risk control, starting with the risks that are most dangerous
   • Based on the risk assessment, put control measures in place. Some examples include:
     • Requiring supervisors to provide every new employee with a thorough orientation of their driving responsibilities before they operate a work vehicle
     • Providing training in safe driving procedures and reviewing them regularly with drivers
     • Reviewing driving-related hazards with drivers
     • Having drivers complete a trip plan to map the safest route
     • Conducting comprehensive risk assessments at least once each year
4. Learn what tools are available to help manage driving-related hazards.
   
   There are some great resources available from roadsafetyatwork.ca, including the following tools and educational resources:
   • Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment Tool Kit
   • Online RiskCheck tool
   • Conducting Road Safety Risk Assessments Online Course

   You can also find driving-related resources on our Driving for work webpage on worksafebc.com.

This information originally appeared in the Fall 2023 issue of WorkSafe Magazine. To read more or to subscribe, visit WorkSafe Magazine.