16/11/2020

Vehicle use on public roads is the most significant contributor to work-related traumatic injury and fatalities.

15-22 November is National Road Safety Week and highlights the impact of road trauma and ways to reduce it.

With road crashes representing the most common cause of work related fatality, driving for work purposes is a considerable risk to a worker’s health and safety.

Safe Work Australia’s Work-related traumatic injury fatalities release, shows nationally that 31% of work fatalities and 77% of bystander fatalities in 2018 were a result of a vehicle collision.

SafeWork SA Executive Director, Martyn Campbell said that according to national data, vehicles kill more workers than any other cause and have been involved in more than two thirds of all -related fatalities.

‘While it would appear obvious that machinery operators, drivers and labourers are occupations most at risk, the risk of vehicle incidents is there for anyone working in or around vehicles as well as all road users’.

‘We have worked together with WHS regulators, road safety authorities and other key stakeholders to develop a guide for vehicles as a workplace. This guide promotes safe systems of work, highlights risks to consider within your work environment, and covers businesses such as bus, truck or taxi operators’, said Mr Campbell.

‘Everyone has the right to get home to their loved ones safely’.

National Road Safety Week is asking all drivers to ‘pledge to drive so other survive!’. You can make your pledge now.