Corporate Manslaughter Act will lead to major fleet market changes

The Government, police and Health and Safety Executive have been driving home the occupational road risk management message to fleets for many years.

But it seems that the new Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act will be the catalyst for a sea-change in the attitudes of organisations.

Despite the raft of evidence showing the benefits of improving safety, thousands of businesses and organisations have continued to pay lip service to the actions they should take to manage the risks associated with their at-work drivers, their vehicles and journeys they make.

However, in the countdown to the new legislation it is clear that there is now a real desire for businesses to put their work-related transport operations on a safety-first footing.

Whatever the reasons – such as the threat of a fine based on up to 10% of annual turnover, a publicity order and a remedial order upon conviction under the Act – the decision of organisations to put in place best practice safety measures is to be applauded.

In reality, of course, the new legislation does not call on organisations to do anything additional in terms of occupational road risk management than they should already be doing, as directed under legislation such as the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Management  of Health and Safety at Work Regulations.

But, the words corporate manslaughter and corporate homicide deliver a chilling message to businesses.

And it may be those words, coupled with the knowledge that police officers nationwide are increasingly investigating road crashes to see if there is a work-related link that will achieve a significant breakthrough in corporate road safety.

Ironically, the benefits of promoting at-work driving safety to businesses and other organisations is not just about reducing the 200 deaths and injuries on the road each week involving at-work drivers.

For organisations there are also the moral benefits associated with promoting a safe driving culture and, crucially, financial benefits.

Each crash impacts performance, takes up staff and management time, and costs significant sums of money.

Industry figures suggest that that average repair costs are £700 – £750 per insurance claim, but the Health and Safety Executive has calculated that for every £1 that is recoverable, between £8 and £36 may be lost to organisations in the form of uninsured costs.

RoadSafe exists to promote safer road use and is delivering the Government-backed Driving for Better Business programme to develop and co-ordinate a network of employers and champions to promote good practice in order to catalyse a reduction in deaths and injuries caused by cars and vans used for business purposes.

Driving on business is the most dangerous task most employees undertake during their working life, according to official figures.

A total of more than 200 companies and organisations have so far been enrolled into the programme and 20 of these are “business champions”. All organisations can learn from the actions they have taken as they reduce crash levels within their own operations.

To learn more about the Driving for Better Business network, log onto http://www.drivingforbetterbusiness.com/

Source: Adrian Walsh, Director of RoadSafe

Author: Lee Sibbald, May 12, 2008

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