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Employers Face Winter Driving Conditions

As winter weather descends across Scotland, driving can become a nightmare. People are often advised to avoid the roads, but many businesses have little choice but to battle against some of the winter road conditions and have to rely on their team to continue delivering a service.

Leading North-east HR and health and safety firm Empire explains employers are required to risk assess the hazards affecting their employees and put suitable and sufficient measures in place for those employees who drive for work.

The risk assessment should consider many areas, including making sure the driver is properly insured and the vehicle is suitably maintained, winter essentials such as screen wash, de-icer, additional warm clothing, water and the means to communicate emergencies is in place. Empire urges employers to anticipate all situations and go the extra mile for drivers that will be out in adverse conditions this winter.

Gill Hutchinson, Health and Safety Manager for Empire, said: “Employers have an obligation to provide a safe workplace to their employees. Sometimes this workplace is a car, and employers have to be very aware of all possible conditions that can affect drivers. By planning, taking simple precautions and providing staff with information and instruction, companies can support their drivers in dangerous conditions.”

Empire offers the following tips to employers to make sure their employees are being as safe as possible:

• Check the Maps – plan the safest routes, know where your employees are going, and make sure that the roads will be passable on the date that they are travelling.

• Watch Medication –are your drivers on medication? If there is the threat of weather delaying them, employees should ensure that they take extra medication with them.

• Equip the Essentials – All drivers should have extra layers in their car in the winter, and Empire recommends occupational drivers especially stock up with warm clothes and a blanket. But they should also carry equipment such as water, and be sure they have tools such as a shovel and de-icer.

• Keep Communications Open – All drivers should carry a mobile phone – ideally one equipped with a hands-free device so that employers can keep in touch with them, and the phones should be charged at all times. In just one instance last year, an employee got stranded on the roads. His employer had set up a system where once contact and the situation was established, he turned his phone off to save battery power, but switched it back on at the top of every hour to check in with his line manager until he was able to reach home in the early hours. Scenarios such as this do occur during the winter months, ensure contingency plans are in place in case the worst happens.

For all other winter weather considerations, Empire has an adverse winter weather policy online that can be adapted by employers. A free, downloadable version is available on Empire’s website: www.empirehr.com.

To find out more on Empire’s health and safety service and any of their other services that Empire offers, call the advice line team on 01224 701383 or visit its website.

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