Joint government effort to address work-related road safety

27 April 2007

A report on work-related road safety released today seeks to raise awareness among employers of the importance of ensuring employees are safe when driving for work, to reduce the risks of injury and death while driving.

The report was published by the Department of Labour, with the support of ACC, the Ministry of Transport, AA Driver Education Foundation and Tranzqual ITO. It examines the extent and far-reaching costs of work-related vehicle crashes in New Zealand, and makes a number of recommendations.

“The report aims to make employers aware of an issue that they may not always see as being workplace-related or their responsibility. The report also highlights some areas where we can improve our research capabilities,” said Geraint Emrys, Chief Advisor for Occupational Health at the Department of Labour.

The report follows a series of workshops in October 2005 for transport operators and government transport sector managers, led by Dr Will Murray, an international expert on reducing work-related vehicle crashes.

“The workshops were useful as they provided participants with information on work-related on and off road vehicle safety. They are now better positioned to manage the risks more effectively. This makes good business sense.”

Recent amendments to the Health and Safety in Employment Act place a duty on employers to train employees to be safe in a work-related environment. Work -related road safety is relevant to anyone driving for work irrespective of vehicle ownership. It excludes commuting to a place of work, in most jurisdictions around
the world.

“Both industry and government have roles to play in promoting road safety,” Dr Emrys said.

Data from the UK and Australia suggests that up to a third of all road fatalities may be work-related.

In New Zealand, there are around 400 road fatalities each year.

“We need to refine our research capabilities before we can properly measure how many of these are work-related,” Dr Emrys said.

The release of this report coincides with the United Nations’ Global Road Safety Week, which ends on April 29.

ENDS