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News release

6 September 2011 - NR 41/11

Employers could do more to reduce work-related road deaths, research reveals

A health and safety body today (Tuesday 6 September) urged employers to do more to reduce the worrying number of work-related road traffic accidents (RTA).

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) made the call after research it commissioned with TRL (Transport Research Laboratory) revealed that many companies are spending money on road safety strategies, with little confirmation on whether they actually produce results.

Currently, one in three company drivers has an accident each year, and it’s estimated that as many as a third of UK RTAs are work-related. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), road incidents overall are expected to rise from the ninth highest cause of death (2004) to the fifth by 2030. IOSH and TRL believe this should prompt significant change in the way work-related road accidents are tackled by businesses and the Government.

TRL principal road safety researcher Shaun Helman said: “Disappointingly, our review has shown that we actually have very little evidence to suggest which of the strategies companies are using to reduce work-related RTAs are actually working, and by how much. Although there are some promising approaches, companies may be spending a lot of money stabbing in the dark, using a range of interventions that are as-yet unproven.

“We think that some companies are achieving results, but we want to encourage businesses across the UK to take a long, hard evaluative look at whether what they’re doing is simply ticking boxes, or actually yielding results. We need well controlled evaluation to show us what works, by how much, and why.”

Dr Helman’s review of the evidence showed that some of the methods that show promise included fitting in-vehicle data recorders, incentives for safer driving, group discussions around safer driving, and training giving drivers an insight into their limitations -rather than training on vehicle control skills. And he is encouraging UK businesses and fleets to do more research into the methods that show signs of success.

IOSH Food and Drink Group chair Neil Catton said: “The statistics of work-related RTAs show us that currently, we haven’t hit on the golden formula that leaves company drivers better equipped to deal with driving risks.

“That is why we are calling for all work-related RTAs to be included in RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995) statistics. After all, the more information we have about the incidents, the more we will be able to find common causes of accidents, which will help to determine the best ways of dealing with work-related RTAs.“

Some of the reasons why work-related RTAs happen are distraction, fatigue and time pressure, for example where employees are required to meet deadlines for meetings and appointments, or have to drive long distances in a day.

“We do encourage companies to use a combination of solutions to reducing the number of employees involved in RTAs. Fundamentally though, the answer is to drive less, by using public transport, pairing up with another team members, or staying overnight in hotels to break up journeys.” Mr Catton added.

Previous research has also highlighted retail trends – which increase the number of deliveries and the length of supply chains – as a potential contributor to work-related RTAs.

Dr Helman added: “We’ve seen the numbers of vans on our road network increase over the last few years. These aren’t as regulated as HGVs, which means drivers and their employers aren’t always held as strictly to account on driving behaviour. This change in the vehicle fleet may have an impact on future work-related road risk, and is another reason why better evaluation work is needed.”

The findings of the research were first announced today at an IOSH Food and Drink Group event on safer workplace transport, at Leicestershire’s Mallory Park Racing Circuit. Delegates attended sessions on load safety, driver training and management, and workplace transport improvements, and were also given a practical session in safer HGV driving.

IOSH’s Research and Development Fund commissioned TRL to carry out the research following a bid.

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Notes for editors:

IOSH is the Chartered body for health and safety professionals. With more than 40,000 members in 85 countries, we’re the world’s biggest professional health and safety organisation.

We set standards, and support, develop and connect our members with resources, guidance, events and training. We’re the voice of the profession, and campaign on issues that affect millions of working people.

IOSH was founded in 1945 and is a registered charity with international NGO status.