Driving for a living can be a hazardous occupation, every year over 1,000 workers are killed in work-related road accidents, and an additional 13,000 suffer serious injury.

Quite apart from the obvious pain and suffering experienced by families who lose a loved one, the high number of work-related fatalities and serious injuries on UK roads represent a huge cost to the UK economy. Official statistics put the annual cost of workers killed or injured on the roads at a massive £3.5 billion (that’s in addition to the £14 billion cost of poor health and safety in the UK’s shops, factories and offices).

Companies that pay little or no regard to managing health and safety are on notice as the Government finally publishes its bill to reform the law of corporate manslaughter.

Corporations can be successfully prosecuted following work-related deaths due to their recklessness. Such cases will not be limited to fatal accidents in fixed workplaces but will include cases of death on the road caused by lack of care on the part of organisations. Company Directors can face prison sentences.

Driving for work is the most dangerous work related activity performed by most people in the UK.

The potential impact on businesses is increasing rapidly as shown by the scale of recent fines; a record £15 million compared to the highest fine of £2 million before August 2005.

It is no longer only the driver who will be held responsible. He or she can now be seen as a ‘victim’ of an organisation’s systems failure.

For more information read the leaflet - Driving at work (Managing work related road safety) it can be seen online at the following address -

Driving at work

What is corporate manslaughter

Corporate Manslaughter

Both these documents make for interesting reading.

To see how this can effect you, click here.

To see how we can help, click here.