A former police inspector is heading up the implementation of a robust occupational road risk management programme at energy company CE Electric UK, which has become the latest organisation to join the ‘Driving for Better Business’ campaign as a ‘business champion’.
Ex-police officer Chris Charlton was appointed to the new post of road risk manager at the company nine months ago and is charged with implementing a two-phase multi-faceted programme. His appointment, says CE Electric, underlines the board of directors’ support for the company’s safety first approach to at-work driving.
Mr Charlton, who has a 32-year career with North Yorkshire Police behind him, said: “I have been able to bring new ideas and perspectives to the occupational road risk arena in devising and supporting delivery of the programme, which is part of CE Electric’s annual safety improvement plan.
“CE Electric wanted to recruit someone with the requisite skills and experience from outside the industry to review and critique their existing safe-driving policy and procedures and to introduce an additional dimension to what they were doing.
“Having had first hand experience of dealing with and investigating road crashes during my police career I am able to pro-actively help the company tighten its safe driving standards even further to ensure compliance with recommended best practice.”
Now numbering almost 40 public and private sector organisations, the Government-backed campaign delivered by RoadSafe uses ‘business champions’ to promote the financial, legal and moral reasons for organisations across the public and private sectors to invest in at-work driving safety.
With an estimated up to 200 road deaths and serious injuries a week resulting from crashes involving at work drivers, and more employees killed and seriously injured on Britain’s roads while driving on behalf of their employer than in any other work-related activity, the campaign aims to cut the carnage.
The CE Electric UK fleet numbers some 2,077 vehicles travelling approximately 13 million miles per annum to deliver its services. The fleet is composed of 818 company cars, 904 light commercial vehicles, 290 pieces of plant and machinery and 65 heavy commercial vehicles. In addition 301 employees drive their own cars on business.
Through a number of subsidiaries CE Electric distributes electricity to customers in the North East of England, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire and provides electrical distribution systems and related services throughout the UK and Ireland.
Phase one of the company’s road risk management programme has been aimed at the company’s 120 highest risk drivers - those with points on their driving licence and those involved in blameworthy accidents - with phase two targeting the remaining 2,400 drivers, including occasional users.
Both phases, which build on established safe driving practices, start with drivers completing online risk assessment, while high-risk drivers also undergo in-vehicle risk assessments.
Mr Charlton said: “Key to the success of the policy and realisation of a reduction in vehicle crashes will be an effective and sustained emphasis on reversing and slow-speed manoeuvring, travelling at speed and safe stopping, defensive driving and concentration skills and avoiding distractions all of which are underlying areas of concern.”
Improvements will be achieved through a series of presentations and practical workshops designed to increase awareness of: vehicle blind spots, manoeuvring skills, driver reaction to hazards, concentration skills and driver distractions supplemented, where necessary, by intensive on-road training.
As part of the initiative, CE Electric is also:
- Reviewing its existing road risk policy following a comprehensive audit of its existing road risk plan
- Compiling a revised edition of its ‘Safe Driving Handbook’, which will be delivered to every employee with the latest version of the ‘Highway Code’
- Rolling out speed limiters to its van fleet
- Holding a series of occupational road risk presentations for all its company drivers.
- Issuing regular road risk briefings that are often linked to the Government’s THINK! campaign and highlight issues such as don’t drink and drive and always wear a seat belt.
- Distributing posters that target specific safe driving trends, activities or issues.
In the last few years CE Electric has recorded a reduction in ‘preventable vehicle accidents’ from 180 in 2001 to 36 in 2008. Whilst last year’s out-turn will not be achieved this year, 2009 has very much been a year of review, consolidation, planning and development. A firm foundation has now been prepared that will see the delivery of the wider road risk management strategy throughout 2010 and beyond. The vast majority of incidents recorded fall into either the low-speed manoeuvring or insufficient stopping distance categories.
Every ‘preventable vehicle accident’ is centrally reported via a telephone hotline and investigated systematically to establish the root cause. Investigation outcomes are reviewed to allow any weaknesses or failings to be considered and rectified. The drivers involved are subject to further desktop and practical driving assessments to identify any training or development needs.
Mr Charlton said: “The primary driver for the road risk management programme is CE Electric’s commitment to the safety and welfare of its employees and recognition that attitude towards the routine activity of driving at work is a litmus for an individual’s wider attitude towards safety.”
CE Electric calculates that low level incidents resulting from low-speed manoeuvring and reversing results in bent metal costs of between £700 and £800. In addition it estimates ‘hidden’ costs such as lost production, missed deadlines and targets, investigation, additional administration, vehicle hire and damage to goods as between £3,000 and £24,000 per incident.
As a result, he added: “The financial benefits to be realised from a reduction in road traffic incidents is recognised and utilised to reinforce delivery of key programme initiatives and messages.”
Michael Parish, co-director of the ‘Driving for Better Business’ campaign, said: “The decision of CE Electric to appoint a former police inspector to the post of road risk manager will give the business a rare first-hand insight into the importance of compliance with safe at-work driving best practice.
“While the new programme is only a few months old, the company has already made impressive strides in raising employee awareness of the risks associated with driving on business. Many of the measures it has introduced should be adopted by like-minded organisations.”
See more on the CE Electric Case Study
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