LONE WORKER PROTECTION


BACK IN THE DRIVING SEAT


Drivers in the hospitality sector will need support as they return to work. Here, Simon Turner, Campaign Manager, Driving for Better Business, explains how managers can facilitate a safe transition for staff getting back on the road.


ENSURING A SAFE WORKING ENVIRONMENT


As lockdown restrictions are lifted across the UK, the hospitality sector is being reactivated after months of


uncertainty. Many businesses, including


pubs, restaurants and venues, have reopened their doors and welcomed staff back to work.


Many of these reactivated staff are lone workers, as part of larger companies, who drive as part of their job, and yet many hospitality businesses do not view their employees as commercial drivers. This poses health and safety challenges for employees operating across the UK’s hospitality industry.


From food and drink suppliers to hygiene services, hospitality businesses have vehicles that have been


22


mothballed, and staff that have been furloughed for the last five months and some for even longer.


For the first time since December 2020, hospitality employees who drive for work are returning to their vehicles as these sectors reopen and there is a shared responsibility to ensure a safe working environment.


FOCUSING ON DRIVER WELLBEING TO MANAGE


THE RISKS As Mark Cartwright, Head of Commercial Vehicles at Highways England, said to me recently, businesses who employ those who drive for work “spend a lot of time managing risks, but less time on the drivers themselves.”


The first step in supporting hospitality drivers in their return to work is ensuring both drivers and vehicles are ready for the road. Drivers need to make sure they are prepared, with many now accustomed to no more than the occasional trip to


www.tomorrowshs.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56