Workplace transport safety An employers' guide - ARRI Lighting Rental

Health and Safety
Executive
630 You should never take for granted a person’s ability to do a task safely.
Choosing drivers
631 You should choose drivers carefully.
632 Drivers should be fully able to operate the vehicle and related equipment safely,
and should receive comprehensive instruction and training so that they can work
safely.
633 Drivers will need to have a mature attitude and be reliable.
634 Safely operating most types of vehicle needs a reasonable level of both
physical and mental fitness, and intelligence.
635 The drivers you choose should be fit enough so that being in control of the
vehicle does not pose a risk to their own health and safety, or that of others.
Fitness for drivers should always be judged individually. Some less physically able
people develop skills to compensate.
636 You can find detailed advice on the medical standards of fitness to drive on UK
roads in the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) publication At A Glance. 23
These standards provide a good guide for medical fitness to control vehicles in the
workplace as well.
637 You should try to match the requirements of a particular vehicle, task and
situation with the fitness and abilities of the driver.
638 An example of a suitable level of fitness might be that people who use
industrial lift trucks should usually be able to fully move their whole body, to allow
them to maintain good awareness of hazards all around their vehicle.
639 For more information about the standards of physical fitness, and other things
you should consider when choosing lift truck operators, you should read our
publication Safety in working with lift trucks. 24 This guidance is also a good basis for
choosing operators for other types of vehicle.
640 Employers, managers and supervisors should never allow anyone who is unfit
through drink or drugs (prescription or otherwise) to drive any vehicle.
641 If the workplace has contractors working on site, the site operator or principal
employer should take measures to make sure that they are competent to carry out
their duties responsibly and carefully. An example might be asking for evidence of
their capabilities from the drivers or their employers.
Driver training and competence
642 The amount of training each driver needs will depend on their previous
experience and the type of work they will be doing.
643 Your risk assessment should help decide the level and amount of training
needed for each type of work.
644 Drivers and other employees will probably need the most training when you
have first recruited them.
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