1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156 
The terrorofihe Risk assessment crucial
Page 23
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
as civil cases gain force
• Hauliers who fail to understand and properly manage occupational road safety risks are risking expensive legal action, warns RoadSafe director Adrian Walsh. People injured as a consequence of a firm's activities are far more likely to take action in the civil courts these days than they were in the past, he points out.
If they're trade union members, they're likely to receive union backing. In 2001 unions secured 2305m for their members in personal injury cases brought on behalf of over 39,000 workers in a variety of different types of employ ment according to a recent TUC report.
Walsh believes that transport companies should draw up a policy that addresses everything from driver selection and training to safe loading and unloading procedures, "RoSPA and the IISE can both provide guidance, as can the FTA and the RNA," he observes.
If civil litigation fears fail to prompt such action, then the possibility of corporate manslaughter charges if lax practices result in a fatality certainly should.
Listing the RHA as one of its sponsors, RoadSafe is a forum that includes companies in the transport industry, road safety professionals, and government representatives. It aims to reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by road crashes, and promote safer driving.
Earlier this year, it produced a miniguide to help van drivers avoid accidents.
• Contact: www.roadsafe.com