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Road safety "champion" Hannaford raises risk management focus

By / 13 years ago / Latest News / No Comments

The St Albans-based high quality fit out and refurbishment specialist is putting all 51 employees through online risk assessments designed by Peak Performance and banning licence-holding children of staff from driving company vehicles.

This year fleet manager Leigh Stiff is considering introducing further safety initiatives. They include driver training for employees' spouses/partners, reviewing the company's at-work driving mobile phone policy, and reviewing the organisation's current solus Citroen car and van policy as the company looks to ensure emerging safety features such as lane departure warnings are included within standard specifications.

Mr Stiff, who has a unique insight into road safety after suffering a broken neck in a crash, said: 'Occupational road risk management should always be a work in progress. There are always new initiatives to pilot and implement and new products and in-vehicle features being launched.

'At Hannaford I am continuously reminding all employees about their responsibility to drive safely and that the business has a duty of care towards them and their road users.'

Mr Stiff believes that Hannaford has a "good" road safety record having only incurred five insurance claims last year in addition to car park-type bumps and scrapes and windscreen-related damage.

However, following a crash when the son of an employee took to the road in a company vehicle, Mr Stiff said: 'We tightened our policy to exclude all children of employees driving company vehicles.

'But we are also looking at introducing risk assessments for spouses/partners and potentially driver training for those that are deemed 'high risk' in addition to existing driving licence checks.'

Additionally, although Hannaford discourages mobile phone use while driving, it is looking to further tighten its policy with the introduction of a "call control" service that effectively manages incoming calls and text messages until the vehicle is stationary with the engine turned off.

Finally, the raft of new safety features that motor manufacturers are gradually introducing in vehicles will influence Hannaford's future company car and van decision making alongside whole-life costs.

Mr Stiff said: 'It is important that fleet managers are aware of the arrival of such technology and, while ensuring vehicles are fit for purpose, incorporate the devices into their future company car and van decision-making as soon as possible.'

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