A new workplace road safety guide has been released for employers aiming to reduce the number of workers being killed or injured on South Australian roads.
With vehicle use the number one contributor to serious injuries and deaths at work, the State Government has today launched the new Workplace Road Safety Guide – A guide for employers and workers.
The guide outlines steps employers and workers can take to support safer driving on the job, providing tools and resources to minimise risk and ensure road safety is a priority at work.
In South Australia, road incidents accounted for around half (36) of the 73 work-related deaths from 2019 to 2023 – and 11 of the 17 lives lost last year.
Safe Work Australia data also shows 75 of the 200 worker lives lost nationally in 2023 were on the road, making work-related driving one of the most significant workplace risks that organisations can manage.
A pre-driving checklist and workplace road safety policy templates are published with the guide to map clear reporting measures and responsibilities across organisations, from the top down.
Recommended policies include zero tolerance for failing to wear a seatbelt, making speeding a disciplinary issue, a no alcohol policy during work hours, eliminating mobile phone use to avoid driver distraction and promoting good driver behaviour.
Developing a fatigue management plan is recommended when shift work and long-distance travel is required, with employers encouraged to provide workers with specialised skills training such as towing trailers and driving on unsealed roads.
The guide emphasises the importance of workplaces choosing and maintaining safe vehicles, use of assistance technologies and carrying out regular safety checks.
Eliminating the need to drive altogether is also part of the messaging – by choosing virtual meetings and investing in end-of-trip facilities to encourage staff to walk or ride to work.
This initiative forms a key part of South Australia’s Road Safety Action Plan 2023-2025, the State Government’s commitment to deliver targets to reduce lives lost and serious injuries on SA roads.
Source: SA Government
