Online resource guides employers through steps to enhance or create road policies
WorkSafeBC has unveiled a new safe driving website in partnership with the BCAA Road Safety Foundation.
Roadsafetyatwork.ca is aimed at employers whose workers are required to drive in the course of their work, said WorkSafeBC.
The website features tips and materials to help employers and workers stay safe while on the road. It guides employers through five simple steps to enhance road policies or create new ones:
•getting management to commit to improvements
•reviewing the status of existing occupational road safety measures
•identifying risks and hazards
•developing strategies
•making an action plan
Each step provides instructions, sample forms and best practices for B.C. employers in order to reduce and eliminate motor vehicle incidents, regardless of a company’s size or industry, said WorkSafeBC.
The new website will help employers promote and enhance safety for their drivers, said Minister of Labour, Citizens’ Services and Open Government Margaret MacDiarmid.
“Employers need to remember promoting workplace safety means ensuring a safety strategy is in place no matter where the work is taking place – and that includes when workers get behind the wheel of a company vehicle. RoadSafetyAtWork.ca will give employers the information and tools they need to keep their workforce both healthy and productive.”
The collection of resources is one more tool to prevent injuries among BC’s working drivers, said Dale Walker, WorkSafeBC director of industry and labour services.
“Between 2006 and 2010, there were, on average, 24 worker deaths related to motor vehicle incidents in B.C. each year. RoadSafetyAtWork.ca will help employers take steps to protect their workers on the road.”
WorkSafeBC and BCAA Road Safety Foundation developed the online tool kit in consultation with employers and representatives from industry health and safety organizations.
The partners plan to augment roadsafetyatwork.ca with additional resources, including an employer outreach program and advisory service, employer-targeted training workshops and tools for people who use their own vehicles for business, according to WorkSafeBC.
“Road safety applies to all aspects of our lives, including our work," said Allan Lamb, BCAA Road Safety Foundation president and chief operating officer. "With this website, it’s our goal to help employers and employees implement safe driving practices and reduce the number of workers injured or killed as a result of work-related motor vehicle incidents."
