Vehicles as a Workplace

Vehicle use is a significant contributor to workplace traumatic injuries.

If your business has vehicles that are used for work this article will be of interest to you. 

Any vehicle that an employee, sub-contractor, visitor or others use in the course of your business is a workplace. This includes personal vehicles, and whether the employee is being paid a vehicle allowance or not.

Employers must ensure that the vehicle being used for work is safe and without health risks and that drivers are appropriately licensed and trained, and that risk factors are identified and properly managed. While workers must take reasonable care of their health and safety and that of other road users.

It’s also important for drivers to have a safe journey plan that includes rest breaks and avoids adverse road conditions, including flood, fire, roadworks, inclement weather, detours, etc., which can increase the risk of a vehicle-related incident. 

When developing policies, procedures and safe work instructions on vehicle and road safety employers should consult with their employees.

Speeding, drugs and alcohol, fatigue, and technology use or other in-vehicle distractions also need to be considered when developing policies, procedures and safe work instructions. 

To manage work-related vehicle risks employers should:

• Ensure appropriate safe systems of work are in place and that these are regularly monitored, reviewed and, if necessary, revised.
• Ensure regular vehicle inspections, servicing and maintenance are undertaken by suitably competent persons per the manufacturer’s recommendations.
• Ensure pre-operation checks are conducted daily on essential components such as brakes, steering, tyres (including pressure), indicators, and suspension and to detect issues such as oil leaks; and that any defects are rectified by competent persons.
• Not allow untrained, unlicensed or inexperienced people to operate vehicles.
• Implement a system to ensure people are competent to conduct the work – this should include instructions, information about the work, mentoring and assessment, toolbox training and refresher training even for experienced employees.
• Establish appropriate rules and standards for safe road use (including speed limits for travel and manoeuvres) taking into account any load factor of a vehicle.
• Communicate all safety information to drivers and others (eg load information for those responsible for loading and driving vehicles) to enable them to perform their work in a way that is safe and without risks to health (SafeWork Victoria).

Useful Resources:

• WorkSafe Victoria – Staying safe when the road is a workplace
• Vehicles as a Workplace – National Guide

Below: Digital Car Pre-Trip Safety Checklist 

DIGI CLIP mobile forms provide safety and compliance checklists and other forms. Complete digital safety checklists and inspections on a phone or tablet with DIGI CLIP mobile forms.