Business owners and companies, with vans on their fleet, are ignoring important elements of their duty of care responsibilities and failing to regularly conduct thorough risk assessments, according to Gain Solutions.
A decade on since the introduction of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act and despite an initial flurry of action, businesses need to refocus their efforts on inspecting vehicles rather than waiting for the next service or the end of the contract.
While issues like driving and handheld mobile phones usage have rightly grabbed attention, other operational issues often are neglected. One such example witnessed by Gain Solutions is on vans fitted with roof racks.
Robin Watson, managing director at Gain Solutions, explains: “In order to ease the loading, drivers are walking on the roof panels. This creates a risk of employees falling from the roof, resulting in injury or death. Additionally, when it comes to remarketing the van, the only viable option will be a costly replacement of the roof panel.”
Gain Solutions has carried out over 40,000 vehicle inspections for clients wanting to defleet their cars and vans. They also observed other areas of neglect that create a threat to road safety, including worn or badly cut tyres, severely cracked windscreens, broken mirrors and lights as well as damaged seat belts.