MOBILE WORKS & FLEET SOLUTIONS
Taking fleet safety seriously and promoting a strong health and safety ethos within the construction industry, is essential. Graham Bellman,
STEERING SAFETY IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Group Fleet Director at Travis Perkins plc, discusses what the challenges and solutions to improving and maintaining excellent fleet safety.
With 80% of incidents in London alone involving construction vehicles, fleet safety is clearly an area that needs investment to reduce the number of incidents happening each year. However, it is not just during transit that problems happen on the road, but also when it comes to loading and unloading products safely and making deliveries to site too. For these reasons it is understandable why fleet safety can be deemed as a complex and difficult area - but one that must be tackled at all cost. At the end of the day if other vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians are to be kept safe, it is the responsibility of the industry to invest in fleet safety measures, introduce new processes and promote positive safety behaviours.
The good news is that many companies in the construction trade are making fleet safety a priority for the benefit of employees, customers and communities alike. A key example of this is through investment in high visibility and low entry vehicles, and also through changing driver behaviours via training and the introduction of telemetry boxes, amongst other measures. What this means is that the industry is better equipped, trained and monitored to ensure things like speed, vehicle load and better road awareness is controlled.
Low entry and high visibility vehicles are designed with features such as lower panoramic windscreens and better placed seating positions, which provide drivers with a good view of vulnerable road users. In-turn this also helps make the driver and vehicle more visible to cyclists and pedestrians too. In fact, companies such as Travis Perkins plc, have committed to schemes investing in vehicle safety,
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including Construction Logistics and Community Safety (CLOCS) and the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) - which the business has been a Gold accredited member of since joining in 2007. This all adds up to promoting best practice by abiding to national schemes, which seek to understand the causes of problems regarding road safety and how they might be prevented.
“IT ISN’T JUST THE TYPE OF VEHICLE USED,
BUT HOW THE DRIVER USES THE VEHICLE THAT IS IMPORTANT.”
It isn’t just the type of vehicle used, but how the driver uses the vehicle that is important. This is why investment in technology to help drivers become more aware of their actions is also crucial. The introduction of telemetry boxes for example, has been advantageous to improving this awareness and subsequent driver behaviour in terms of idling, utilisation, and turnaround at branch. As a result of trials, idling was reduced on average from 1.75 hours to 0.3 hours, which increased the amount of deliveries made possible and also reflected savings in fuel consumption and reduced emissions.
These telemetry devices also have the capability to help drivers load vehicles to the correct weight, through in-built scales and software design, to the reporting of speeding infringements and resulting education and support to help drivers rectify their speed. The technology also helps with practical tasks, such as recording deliveries electronically
and provides diagnostic feedback to improve fuel economy and emissions.
Providing encouragement and then rewarding employees for their commitment to health and safety is another way of fostering great attitudes. For example, offering internal initiatives that inspire a business, at every level, to keep messages front of mind will engage employees, raise awareness and contribute to improved practices. Travis Perkins plc demonstrates this through holding awards that commend best practice, including the ‘Driver of the Year’ accolade. This award celebrates skills and safety with a focus on speeding, vehicle appreciation, and overall driver score, which has resulted in a safer fleet, decrease in fuel spend, and overall maintenance. The award also includes feedback from the community to help with the judging process; to provide a 360 degree view of how our drivers are performing.
Ultimately, continuing to innovate fleet technology with safety in- mind will mean less workplace and road-related harm, which in-turn will improve the reputation of the construction industry and ensure reliable and consistent safety standards for drivers, the trade and general public. In the future, electronic vehicle checks will help aid drivers in real-time and provide even more support and assistance for them to get it right. We look forward to helping to pioneer this and make it workable. With the right investment, communication and awareness fleet health and safety excellence is achievable, and more than ever, as we have the technology and foresight to meet this goal.
www.travisperkinsplc.co.uk twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
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