Tackling Duty Of Care Within Fleet Management

WHETHER you’re a company running a single vehicle or a huge fleet you have a duty of care to ensure employees do not suffer any unreasonable or foreseeable harm or loss in the workplace.

However your responsibilities do not end there and your duty of care extends to other road users and the public, writes Rivervale Leasing’s fleet management expert Jaymie Stanbrook (pictured).

Why Is Duty Of Care So Important?

The consequences to a business are critical If found liable as a result of negligence. At Rivervale Fleet we advise fleet operators to get digital and get up to speed on responsibilities, something our Driver Care product does for you very simply. As a starting point however we recommend breaking things down into three categories.

Vehicle

All company-owned vehicles must be right for the job intended and meet drivers’ requirements. Ensuring that the vehicle is safe for the driver is one area, but the public and other road users are equally as important. Daily maintenance checks and inspections are best practice. Vehicles owned by the company are considered a place of work, so health and safety rules apply. Understanding the use of the vehicle will help determine which vehicle is the best fit for the job. It is something we recommend getting help with.

Driver

Drivers need to be checked. Check licences, insurance (if they are driving their own vehicles – does it cover business use?) and also the individual themselves, are they fit for the job? Remember that these drivers represent your business. While some actions of the driver, such as parking fines or reckless driving will not be the company’s responsibility there are instances that could be questioned such as speeding to meet deadlines or carrying heavier than acceptable payloads.

Journey

Planning reasonable journeys is a must. Do not set things up for your drivers to cut corners because targets are unachievable. How will vehicles be fuelled and charged needs full consideration as well as the distances covered in a typical day’s use.  

Speak To A Fleet Expert

If you’d like to find out more about Driver Care or speak to one of our team about your duty of care requirements click here.