Corporate Manslaughter… …Don’t be a dummy

Superior Vehicle Management… …Put us to the test

Duty of Care

Every employer has ‘Duty of Car’ obligations to meet in respect of health and safety and the welfare of employees whilst at work.

Recent changes to road transport legislation mean it is important for companies to carry out the appropriate risk assessments to identify all potential sources of occupational road risk and implement necessary risk reduction strategies.

It is paramount that fleet operators run a safe fleet of vehicles efficiently and effectively, that are fit for purpose, for both employee and employer.

The UK Government has introduced the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, which became effective from April 2008. These new laws could mean that organisations guilty of corporate manslaughter essentially due to senior management failure may be prosecuted for failing in their Duty of Care obligations.

Issues facing Fleet Operators

• Prosecution, fine or adverse publicity following a breach of legislation
• Investigation and additional paperwork following an incident
• Lost time causing the rescheduling of work
• Drivers working long periods without a break
• Productivity and efficiency  of workforce
• Vehicle downtime whilst being repaired
• Lost driver hours due to injury or ill health
• Escalating fleet running costs due to driving style, harsh acceleration, heavy breaking and fast cornering
• Company reputation due to driver behaviour

What does it mean to Fleet Operators?

As a fleet operator monitoring and controlling the safe running of a fleet is critical.

Any employee, whether in a company vehicle or private car, is the responsibility of the employer. A fleet manager has to ensure that any vehicle used for company business is fit for purpose, even if it is not a company vehicle. Through accessing risk and auditing work related driving activities, a company is in a better position to make informed decisions. This can help to identify where improvements can be made to the company’s health and safety policy.

Managing work related vehicle and road safety enables better control over costs, from insurance premiums and legal fees, to vehicle wear and tear and fuel use, general efficiency and productivity.

Why vehicle tracking?

Using telematics, you can monitor vehicle activity in real-time as well as access Vehicle Management Information^TM reports to verify hours worked, analyse costs, plan the best routes, provide proof of service, monitor performance, identify trends and improve productivity. Vehicle Management Information^TM is an essential tool for fleet operators as it helps to address Duty of Care issues such as:

• Driver behaviour and liability
• Vehicle and worker security
• Vehicle maintenance
• Maintenance and service intervals

“It has been estimated that up to a third of all road traffic accidents involve somebody who is at work at the time. This may account for 20 fatalities and 250 serious injuries every week.”
HSE: Driving at work

What are the benefits?

• Reduce vehicle wear and tear and therefore costs
• Take corrective action to mitigate risk
• Reduce insurance premiums
• Improve risk management strategy
• Review individual driver and fleet performance
• Comply with legislation
• Reduce fuel costs
• Ensure correct identification of drivers to help achieve compliance with the Working Time Directive (WTD)
• Improve productivity
• Reduce accident liability and damage
• Ensure drivers take the rest periods required by law
• Accurate recording of drivers’ working hours
• Monitor speed and driving style
• Promote driver responsibility
• Proof on the event of a dispute or accident
• Live tracking of stolen vehicles
• Improve safety of remote workers
• Ensure security of cargo and assets
• Peace of mind for employer, employee and customer
• Ensure vehicles are fit-for-purpose
• Reduce administration and paperwork

Why Minorplanet?

Since its foundation in 1996, Minorplanet has been at the forefront of developing telematics systems, providing support to thousands of customers worldwide across all market sectors.

Combining GPS and GPRS technology, Minorplanet provide tracking solutions to help companies manage their fleets beyond the limitations of simply locating vehicles on a map. As one of the few organisations to offer both web based and customer hosted solutions, Minorplanet provide complete end-to-end solutions.

Minorplanet deliver incremental value to the end user because it owns the intellectual property of its products and is committed to long term research and development. All engineers are trained to the highest standard and are accredited by the Vehicle Systems Installation Board (VSIB) for extra piece of mind.

“Failure to properly manage work-related road safety is more likely to endanger other people than failure to properly manage risks in the workplace”
HSE: Driving at work

What is the solution?

Keeping vehicles on the road is critical to any organisation involved in fleet management and therefore the reliability is a primary consideration. The communications Hub is the latest generation Data Collection Unit (DCU). It provides a number of innovative features including internet and email access, hands-free voice communication and the ability  to integrate with other applications and technologies such as PDA’s, satnav devices and on-board systems such as temperature control and weighing systems.

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Author: Lee Sibbald, June 26, 2008

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