Occupational Health & Safety
Driving a vehicle for work may be one of the most dangerous situations an employee may encounter during their work day
41% of work related deaths involve a vehicle
60% of the time it is the fault of the fleet driver
Work related road crashes incur a greater average time lost in worker absences than any other workplace claim
The average repair cost of a crash is $2,000
Total cost of a crash including downtime, lost work hours, replacement vehicle, insurance premiums and workers compensations can be anywhere from 8 – 36 times vehicle repair/replacement cost
Your Obligation
Occupational health and safety law recognises a fleet vehicle as a 'workplace'. This means that your work vehicles need to be treated in the same manner as a building, office or factory. The employer has a responsibility to provide and maintain, so far as is reasonably practicable, a safe and healthy working environment for its employees. This applies to all employees and contractors engaged by your organisation that are required to drive a vehicle as part of their work.
Action Required
Organisations are required to provide training to ensure that their employees know how to best practise the safe use of their work vehicle.
The following areas need to be covered:
- The safe use and control of their work vehicle
- The maintenance of their work vehicle
- Information about the safety features of vehicles and instruction on how to use them
- Knowledge about the causes and effects of fatigue
- Knowledge about the effects of and how best to manage potential distractions
Having your drivers undertake professional driver training is the most effective way to meet your OH&S responsibility.
 View Worksafe's Guide to safe work related driving |
 View the latest road safety news from the TAC |