Transportation accidents encompass 40% of all workplace deaths and is thus the leading cause of job fatalities. Employers within this sector (and anywhere fleets are involved) should be cognizant of their duty to ensure the safety of their drivers and put appropriate measures in place. A fleet risk assessment for vehicles is a good place to start.

How To Get Started with Fleet Risk Assessment

Before knowing what measures (or policies) to put in place, however, an evaluation or risk assessment for vehicles should be conducted. Here are three steps you can follow:

Step 1: Identify Hazards

A hazard is anything with the potential to cause harm such as work materials, equipment, work methods, poor work design or exposure to chemicals, noise or vibration.

• Identify and list the types of vehicles within your fleet as well as any less common vehicles that may enter your premises or come into contact with your drivers. 
• Identify and list vehicle and work activities associated with your vehicles. 
• On a map, mark high-risk or common areas of movement.

Step 2: Assess the Risks of Injury or Harm

A risk is the chance, whether it be high or low, that somebody may be harmed. 

• Identify the risks associated with each vehicle and activity. What could potentially happen in a situation? 
• Identify the people who may be harmed. This could include employees, customers, contractors and members of the public.

Also consider:  

• Construction on the road, extreme weather and time of day, for example.
• Whether vehicles are being used correctly. For example, is the vehicle set up for the specific load it is carrying? 
• How likely it is for a hazard to cause harm and how serious that harm will be. This will help prioritize risks. 
• Previous accidents, incidents or near misses. 

When assessing risk, remember to consult with people like drivers and other employees as they may recognize potential problems or solutions you wouldn’t. 

Step 3: Control the Risk 

Make sure you know what controls are currently in place, then decide whether they are good enough or require improvement to prevent accidents or injuries.   

Within this step, you need to use the information that your fleet risk assessment has provided to develop an in-depth telematics policy. This policy will go on to help you manage risks better and have a future reference point for how vehicles and drivers need to be managed and protected.

How To Setup your Telematics Policy

We have used our decades of experience in creating telematics policies and our status as safety experts to develop a comprehensive white paper that explores the essential elements you need for such a policy as well as how to successfully implement a risk assessment for vehicles. As a fleet manager, when you need to improve the fleet safety, get in touch with MiX Telematics today.