Construction Safety Week - Driving For Work - Construction Industry Federation

Day 5 of Construction Safety Week will draw to a close what has been a very successful week.

Dermot Carey

Hi Folks,

I hope that you have enjoyed highlighting this critical issue for the construction industry.

As safety week ends on a high note, we must remember that every employee, on every site must always be thinking safety. This is the only way we can hope to approach a zero-fatality industry.

So, I hope we can agree that every week is now safety week in the industry. We’ve been inundated with safety initiatives, blogs, images, video, and events promoting safety throughout the week. Keep them coming into the CIF and we’ll feature them throughout the year. Let’s aim to make 2018 ‘the safest year on sites’ on record.

Today’s theme is ‘Driving safely’ and it’s a critical safety area for construction companies, their workers and the public.

Over 14,000 road collisions between 2008 and 2011 may have been work related. The figures include as many as 4,672 vans, trucks and buses. A further 9,427 collisions involving private cars could also have been work related.

Recent research into road traffic fatalities during this period indicate that up to 23% were work related and 15% were workers.

“Fatal collisions on the road”

In the case of journeys taken in a vehicle provided an employer, such as a van, jeep or fleet car, an employer has a duty of care to ensure the safety of employees using the vehicle. Employers should have appropriate policies and procedures in place to ensure safety when employees drive a work-provided vehicle or drive their own vehicle for work.

Driving for work involves a risk not only for drivers, but also for fellow workers and members of the public, such as pedestrians and other road users. As an employer or self-employed person, you must, by law, manage the risks that may arise when you or your employees drive for work. Employers should have systems in place to ensure that Driving for Work activities are road safety compliant. Employers cannot directly control roadway conditions, but they can promote and influence safe driving behaviour and actions by their employees.

There is a raft of guidance available to employers and employees regarding driving for work. For more information, see the links to external resources below:

HSA – Driving for Work

Driving for Work TV Campaign 2017

So, thank you all again for making Construction Safety Week so successful. You’ve played a part in making Irish construction safer.

Dermot Carey