The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has launched a safety document that has the potential to reduce the incidence of UK van insurance claims.
Called Managing Occupational Road Risk, the document has been inspired by Health and Safety Executive guidance and identifies commercial vehicle fleet accidents as one of the major causes of workplace death and injury in the UK. It is thought that wholesale adoption of the document will help not only reduce the rate of accidents but also the cost of van insurance.
Roger Bibbings, RoSPA's Occupational Safety Adviser, commented, "It has been estimated that between 800 and 1,000 road deaths a year are in some way work-related. Many bosses have ignored this problem in the past, but the HSE has now made it clear that employers have duties under health and safety law to manage the risks faced by their workers on the road.
"As the organisation that identified work-related road crashes as the biggest safety problem facing UK employers today, RoSPA was the first to develop guidance on the subject and has continued to lead the field.
"The fully-revised RoSPA guide explores the issue in more depth than the HSE document, and will be an invaluable tool for any business or organisation. It explains how to put the people, policies and procedures in place to successfully manage occupational road risk."
In separate news, RoSPA is aiming to investigate why a disproportionate number of van accidents involve younger drivers, placing a burden on the van insurance costs of many companies.
RoSPA's road safety manager commented on some of the feedback the society has received so far. "Most employers are identifying reasons why they feel the learner test does or does not adequately prepare young people for at-work driving," he said.