NHSScotland 'Once for Scotland' Workforce Policies - Managing Health at Work - Public Consultation

7. Work-related Driving Policy

7.1. Aim

7.1.1. The Work-related Driving Policy aims to:

• Increase staff awareness of safety issues associated with work- related driving
• Make sure that risk in relation to work-related driving is assessed and safe systems and appropriate training are put in place
• Reduce the number of incidents and injuries to staff resulting from work-related driving.

7.2. Scope

7.2.1. This policy applies to all employees. It also applies to bank, secondees, agency, sessional workers, volunteers, contractors, and those on placement, such as trainees, students, or individuals undertaking work experience.

7.2.2. Reference to employees applies to all these groups unless otherwise stated.

7.2.3. This Policy complies with current legislation and meets the aims of the Public Sector Equality Duty of the Equality Act 2010

7.3. Definitions

7.3.1. Work-related driving is defined as ‘any driving activities carried out by employees in the course of their work’.

7.4. Roles and responsibilities

7.4.1. There is a range of standard expectations which underpin all policies. Read more about standard roles and responsibilities. In addition, the following specific responsibilities apply to this policy.

7.4.2. In addition, the following specific responsibilities apply to this policy.

7.4.3. Employer

• The Employer should:
• Make sure there are arrangements for identifying, evaluating and managing risk associated with work-related driving
• Provide resources for putting the policy into practice
• Make sure that there is a process in place to report defects, incidents or concerns related to work vehicles
• Make sure that there is a process in place to check that drivers have valid and appropriate documentation

7.4.4. Manager

7.4.5. Managers will:

• Make sure that all employees who drive for work are aware of the policy
• Make sure that the process to check that drivers have valid and appropriate documentation is carried out
• Make sure that risk assessments are carried out and regularly reviewed
• Implement procedures and safe systems of work to reduce work-related driving incidents
• Make sure that employees identified as being at risk are given appropriate information, instruction and training
• Make sure that appropriate support is provided to employees involved in any incident associated with work-related driving
• Manage the effectiveness of preventative measures through an effective system of reporting, investigating and recording incidents.

7.4.6. Employee

7.4.7. Employees will:

• Take reasonable care of themselves and other people whilst driving for work
• Follow procedures designed for safe driving
• Report any health issues that may impact on fitness to drive
• Make sure their vehicle is roadworthy where it is used for business mileage
• Report all work-related driving incidents and risks
• Take part in training designed to meet the requirements of the policy
• Report any hazards or any concerns about work-related driving.

7.5. Assessing risk

7.5.1. Suitable and sufficient risk assessments should ensure areas have effective control measures in place for work-related driving safety issues. The risk assessment should take account of both normal work and foreseeable issues, be reviewed regularly, based on the level of risk, and communicated with employees.

7.6. Managing risk

7.6.1. Risks should be reduced to the lowest level that is reasonably practicable. Issues to consider include:

• Driver and licence checks
• Driver behaviour and responsibilities
• Roadworthiness of vehicles
• Use of seatbelts
• Substances that impact on driving ability
• Use of mobile phones
• Driver hours and rest
• Driving conditions

7.6.2. Procedures must be in place that provide specific guidance for employees on managing work-related driving risks. This should include guidance on driver risk assessment and details of procedures to follow in the event of a work-related driving incident. All employees must be familiar with these local procedures.

7.7. Employee training

7.7.1. Managers should make sure employees are appropriately trained in line with their role and risk assessment. Employees will attend refresher training on a regular basis

7.7.2. Managers should make sure that identified risks are managed through training and support, this includes actions to prevent health problems.

7.8. Reporting and recording

7.8.1. Employees should report all incidents, including near misses, to their manager at the earliest opportunity. These should be reported on the appropriate system including Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) and the manager should investigate all reports.

7.9. Monitoring and review

7.9.1. In order to monitor the implementation and effectiveness of this policy and associated local protocols, local statistics and incident reports should be reviewed regularly.

7.9.2. The review processes will include:

• Collecting and monitoring all reported incidents
• Regular reporting of incident statistics and safety improvement measures to appropriate Health and Safety Committees and Partnership Forums
• Reporting to the Board to highlight progress in reducing risk and incidents and making recommendations for the forthcoming year.

7.10. Supporting documentation

It is proposed that the supporting documents listed below will be developed to support the policy. Supporting documents are not part of the consultation. These will be drafted following the consultation when responses have been analysed and the policy is developed in a final draft.

• Employee guide
  Descriptor: guide to help employees use and understand the Work-related Driving Policy.

• Manager guide
  Descriptor: guide to help managers use and understand the Work-related Driving Policy.

• Work-related Driving Risk Assessment
  Descriptor: risk assessment to identity and address risk in relation to work-related driving. The work-related driving risk policy and the lone working will be amalgamated to cover both scenarios.

7.11. Consultation questions

We are inviting responses to this consultation using the Scottish Government’s consultation hub. The following questions are set.

In your response, all questions have the option to answer yes or no. You are invited to provide further comment in a free text box. If you wish to make specific reference to a section of the policy, please quote the relevant numbered line in this consultation document.

1. Do you feel there are any gaps in the policy?

2. Do you feel there are any gaps in the proposed list of supporting documents?

3. Do you have any other comments to make on the policy?

4. Do you have any views on the potential impacts of this policy on equalities groups?

It is against the law to discriminate against someone because of: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. These are protected characteristics under the Equality Act, 2010.