PURPOSE

The purpose of this procedure is to define how the company will ensure that all drivers, employees and partners/family, have the necessary information and training to drive on behalf of the company or in company supplied vehicles

INTRODUCTION

Vehicle operation is a major cause of injuries, deaths and damage. Employee safety is essential and the objective for the organisation is to eliminate all preventable accidents and near misses.

The opinions on the effectiveness of driver training are endless with very differing views as to whether an organisation should or should not participate in such programs.

But what exactly is ‘driver training’? The term encompasses a wide range of approaches including employee skill assessment, practical vehicle handling and training to ensure drivers can handle a car in an emergency situation, hazard identification and avoidance.

The organisation will embrace driving programs based on the concept of developing the driver’s ability to avoid accidents in spite of wrong actions by others, or adverse driving conditions. Its aim is to develop a defensive driver who commits no driving errors and makes allowances for the lack of skill or improper driving practices of the other driver.

For the purposes of this procedure driver training will mean employee skill assessment, induction, vehicle and equipment training and familiarisation, as well as practical vehicle handling and developing defensive driver skills.

All accidents or near misses, no matter how minor, should be reviewed with the employee involved so they can be shown how the accident might have been avoided.

PROCEDURE

All employees who drive on company business and/or who use company supplied (including Novated Lease) vehicles shall be assessed to ensure that their physical driving skills are adequate for the level of transport task that they are authorised to undertake.

Additionally induction will be undertaken to inform a driver of particular characteristic of the particular vehicle they are assigned. When regular personal use of a company vehicle by members of the employee’s family is permitted, the safe driving program should extend to the home to reach other operators of the vehicle.

Where specialist vehicles/machinery is to be used the driver/operator will receive specific equipment training.

The organisation will monitor the driving record/behaviour of authorised drivers and will require drivers to undergo specific remedial training based on an active evaluation of driver performance; refer to procedures:

• Risk Management Review and Analysis (1-02)
• Incident Management (6-01)
• Managing Risk: an overview (1-09)

Records of all such training will be kept in the Employee’s Motor Vehicle (MVR) record.1