Kier Harlow Joins Government At-Work Driving Safety Campaign As Policy Triggers Huge Savings
Driver education and the implementation of a wide-range of road safety initiatives have triggered a massive reduction in accidents and significant financial savings at building maintenance and environmental services business Kier Harlow.
As a result, Kier Harlow has been officially recognised as operating one of Britain’s best occupational road risk management programmes and has become a ‘business champion’ under the Government-backed ‘Driving for Better Business’ campaign, which is delivered by RoadSafe.
Last year, Kier Harlow, a division of the Bedfordshire-based construction and civil engineering Kier Group, recorded a 60% reduction in road traffic incidents resulting in huge savings in vehicle repair bills.
The campaign recruitment of Kier Harlow, which was established three years ago to deliver a public/private partnership contract with Harlow District Council, means there are now almost 40 ‘business champions’. They are used by the campaign 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.
Kier Harlow operates a 135-vehicle fleet including more than 60 vans, a handful of company cars, and a wide cross-section of other vehicles including refuse vehicles, tractors, mowers, chippers, fork lift trucks, cherry pickers, street sweepers, graffiti machines and gulley suckers. In addition, more than 50 employees drive their own cars on company business.
Stella Hinson, regional health and safety adviser, who has been instrumental in introducing the focus on safe driving, said: “Road safety is seen by our business as key to our general health and safety due to the risk associated with our work on and around the roads, pavements, fields and cycle tracks.
“Additionally, because of the number of road incidents recorded compared to other incidents at work, improving road safety is key to our public perception in Harlow
and improving our image in the community.”
Kier Harlow employees are responsible for providing repairs and maintenance for social housing, a range of local authority environmental services and large building and refurbishment contracts on behalf of Harlow council and other clients.
While Kier Harlow’s safe driving policy is based on procedures adopted across the whole of the Kier business, it also features a number of initiatives unique to the company.
Last year, Kier Harlow recorded 31 non-injury vehicle incidents and just one accident in which an employee was injured - down from 74 and four respectively in 2008. The decline in accident frequency has triggered a simultaneous reduction in accident costs, which have now dropped to below £6,000 a year from almost £14,000 in 2007, the first year of operation for Kier Harlow.
The strategy has won plaudits from Kier Harlow’s union with convenor Jimmy Gamble saying: “The health and safety at Kier Harlow is second to none. The culture change has been huge; Kier takes the health and safety of its workforce very seriously and we are extremely happy.”
Specific measures introduced by Kier Harlow include:
• A safe driving policy encouraging drivers to carry out vehicle maintenance checks
• Regular driving licence on all drivers and insurance checks on those who drive their own vehicles on business trips
• Checks on driving competence with employees undergoing a specially devised ‘driving test’
• A clamp down on mobile phone use
• Tracking devices being fitted to vans to better manage employee driving hours and journey times
• Roof rack use has been ended unless specifically authorised by management due to the poor securing of loads and overloading in some cases
• Advice on safe driving in public places
• Clear guidance on the use of seat-belts, not to use mobile phones when driving and speeding - all issues that had been highlighted as causes of concern
• Information on road safety included in health and safety inductions for new starters
• Regular 20-minute ‘toolbox talks’ with drivers on key road safety issues
• Frequent communication with drivers on key road safety topics such as ‘don’t speed’, ‘don’t use your mobile phone’, ‘park safely’ and ‘don’t drink and drive’ through posters, text message and the intranet
• Safety driving demonstration days and events organised in conjunction with Essex County Council and the local road safety team
Additionally, regular health and safety vehicle inspections are carried out by all levels of management, from supervisors to Kier Group board directors
Ms Hinson said: “This has improved the image of the company and has also given operatives some pride in the ownership of the vehicle, which are now kept clean and tidy.”
Now the safe driving focus has moved to Kier Harlow’s many sub-contractors. Ms Hinson said: “There are a number of very small companies and large companies who have lower levels of health and safety to our own. Therefore we are trying to work
closer with them to provide information, instruction and training and assist with
posters and other facilities where they are required. As a result, we are starting to see significant improvements.”
Caroline Scurr, co-director of the ‘Driving for Better Business’ campaign, said: “Not only has Kier Harlow introduced a first-class safe driving at work strategy, but the company is taking the message to its sub-contractors, which will result in more employers implementing similar initiatives.
“This is exactly what the campaign is about: business champions such as Kier Harlow using their knowledge and expertise to help other organisations reduce their at-work driving risk exposure.”
