The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has published a new guidance document on driving for work.

This guidance document has been jointly developed by An Garda Síochána, the Health and Safety Authority and the Road Safety Authority to help employers understand and manage the main risks that working drivers face and create when driving for work.

The overarching message to employers and employees is that “Road safety is a shared responsibility” and its aim is to inform and educate employers on how to implement safe driving for work policies, procedures and practices.

Driving for work is a high-risk activity.  Driving for work activities contribute to road crash risks for workers in all work sectors in Ireland. According to the European Transport Safety Council, up to 40% of work-related deaths are caused by road collisions.

Research by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) shows that one quarter of all drivers involved in fatal road collisions over the period 2019-2023 were driving for work. Those drivers were typically male and aged between 36-55, with half of them driving HGVs.

Ireland’s Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 adopts a Safe System approach, aiming to reduce deaths and serious injuries by 50% by 2030. Our vision is to influence a sustainable reduction in the numbers of people killed and injured in work related road collisions and incidents.

The aim of this guidance is:

• to help employers understand their legal obligations related to managing driving for work, and legal consequences of failing to act,

• to help employers understand the main risks that workers face and create when driving for work,

• to provide practical guidance to employers on how to prioritise and manage key driving for work hazards, and

• to promote the development of a safer and healthier work environment by employers for those driving for work.

Employers have a duty of care to look after the safety of their workers, and part of this is making sure that workers are safe on the roads if their job requires any driving or related work activities. This includes the time when workers are driving or riding for work, whether this is in a company or hired vehicle, or in the worker’s own vehicle (Grey fleet).

This guidance provides information to help employers learn about:

• legal duties relating to driving for work and fleet risk management,

• how to carry out a driving for work risk management gap analysis to identify areas for action,

• key driving for work safety issues and risks,

• keeping and maintaining records relating to risk management practices,

• how to embed driving for work risk management within the workplace,

• how to promote safe systems with those that drive for work, and

• suggested risk management solutions and ways to help employers and workers use the roads safely for work.