Fleet Support Group takes at-work driving safety message to TUC Congress

Fleet Support Group is taking its occupational road risk management message to the heart of the trade union movement by exhibiting at this year’s TUC Congress, which takes place at the Brighton Centre on the south coast from September 8-11.
Britain’s giant public sector trade union, Unison, which has more than 1.3 million members working in public services, local authorities, NHS, police service, education, public utilities and transport, signed up to Fleet Support Group’s RiskMaster programme earlier this year.
At the time, Ian Smith, Unison staff health and safety officer, said: “Unison is reinforcing need for its drivers to appreciate that driving can be a deadly activity. Deploying RiskMaster is demonstrating that Unison cares deeply about employees’ well-being.”
He added: “At any one time there could be in excess of 400 Unison staff out on the road and driving in the course of their work. RiskMaster provides Unison managers with essential tools to ensure that a safe driving culture is embedded in Unison’s activities.”
The TUC wants employers to develop work-related road safety policies with 200 road deaths and serious injuries a week resulting from crashes involving at-work drivers.
And in a stark reminder to companies, the TUC, which bills itself as ‘the voice of Britain at work’ says on its website: “Many employers do not see road safety as a health and safety issue. Their main concerns relate to tax, insurance, MoT certificates, and that the driver has the appropriate driving licence. Attitudes like this can lead to higher death and injury rates.
“The TUC believes that work-related road safety must be a higher priority for employers and be integrated into employers’ arrangements for managing health and safety at work. Employers need to control work-related road risks and by doing so could save hundreds of lives every year.”
With more people killed and seriously injured on Britain’s roads while driving on behalf of their employer than in any other work-related activity, the organisation adds: “The TUC is concerned that employers are increasingly relying on workers to drive as part of their work. The TUC believes that this trend, combined with long hours, understaffing, ‘just-in-time’ management, unrealistic work-scheduling, tough work targets and so on, is leading workers to feel pressurised to drive faster for their work.
“Work can often mean having to do too much too quickly, with impossible deadlines to meet. When workers’ jobs involve driving this may mean that they are expected to drive too fast. Speed kills people driving for a living, as well as having devastating effects on others that use the roads.”
Fleet Support Group manages more than 50,000 company cars and vans and interest in RiskMaster has rocketed in recent months. The online programme, which now also includes telematics, builds up a ‘Driver Operating Life Report’ for every employee who drives on business.
Chairman Geoffrey Bray said: “RiskMaster is unique because it provides a continuous appraisal of an at-work driver’s approach, attitude and performance in general driving.
“Unison has recognised the importance of managing the driving activities of all of its staff and by exhibiting at the conference we hope to spread the importance of occupational road risk management to the entire trade union movement.”
Other organisations that use RiskMaster include Dun & Bradstreet, West Bromwich Building Society, WH Smith and the National House Building Council.
A total of 58 unions representing nearly seven million working people from all walks of life, are affiliated to the TUC, which campaigns for a fair deal at work and for social justice at home and abroad. The TUC also negotiates in Europe, and at home build links with political parties, business, local communities and wider society.