Wirral Council’s road safety team is hosting a ‘mock trial’ to highlight the potential dangers for employers with staff who drive as part of their job.
Part of the council’s ‘Mind Your Business, Road Safety At Work’ campaign, the trial will illustrate what employers could go through following a serious road collision, showing how easy it is to fall foul of their obligations for duty of care under health and safety at work law.
In November 2015, TRL launched a new CPD-accredited vehicle accident investigation course for fleet, operations and health and safety managers after it was revealed that more than a quarter of all road traffic incidents involve people driving for work.
The trial will tell the story of a van driver from a courier firm who was involved in a fatal collision with a pedestrian. The subsequent police enquiry into the business highlights a number of areas where the company appears not to have fulfilled its duty of care obligations and the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) decide to prosecute. The failings highlighted by the police, known as aggravating factors, are reported in Court making the situation far worse for the employer, and the penalties more severe.
The trial scenario will highlight how the police investigate the company involved, including a thorough inspection of its policies and working practices.
It will also examine what caused the accident and why poor company procedures made the outcome worse; how the management failings were used against the company in court; and what the penalties would likely be for the driver and employer. The conclusion of the trial will reveal what level of punishment the company could expect to receive.
The trial is part of a wider one-day Business Driver Safety Conference on 17 March at Wallasey Town Hall, Wirral. In addition to the trial, the day will feature a number of presentations from leading experts in the field of at work road safety.
For more information about the trial and conference contact Paul Leatherbarrow, Wirral’s road safety officer, on 0151 606 2397.
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