RoSPA Press Office : Press Release

June 3, 2008
MINISTER BACKS ROAD SAFETY EVENTS FOR SCOTTISH FIRMS

Stewart Stevenson MSP, the Scottish Government’s Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change, has welcomed four free seminars that aim to improve the safety of workers who have to drive as part of their jobs.

The Work-Related Road Safety seminars are being held by the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives, in association with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), to enable businesses to learn how to manage occupational road risk. The first one takes place on Thursday (June 5) at the Drumossie Hotel in Inverness.

It is estimated that approximately 100 people die each year on Scotland’s roads while going about their work, a figure that is roughly three times higher than the number of reported accidental deaths occurring in Scottish workplaces.

Stewart Stevenson said: “Companies have a major role to play in the health and safety of their employees, no matter what tasks they undertake. This is especially true when operating potentially dangerous machinery, and driving for work should not be treated any differently.

“I welcome these seminars and hope that as many companies as possible attend to benefit from the expertise which RoSPA has built up in this particular area over a number of years.”

In addition to Thursday’s event in Inverness, free seminars will be held on Friday, June 6, at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre; Thursday, June 12, at the Falkirk Stadium; and Thursday, June 19, at Easterbrook Hall, Dumfries.

They will highlight the legal, safety and business cases for action on work-related road safety. Items on the agenda include training and motivating drivers and line managers, developing company policies and standards, the Corporate Homicide Act and the environmental impact of driving.

Willie Wills, RoSPA’s Road Safety Manager for Scotland, said: “RoSPA has campaigned for more than 10 years for businesses and organisations to address work-related road safety. It is an issue that affects not only those firms employing professional drivers, but any organisation with staff who use the road for work purposes, such as sales reps, employees who travel between sites or managers who have drive to meetings.”

The seminars run from 9.30am to 3pm and are free to organisations based in Scotland. Each delegate will receive a copy of the RoSPA Managing Occupational Road Risk Guide, which is usually priced at £25. Places are still available. Visit www.rospa.com/events/, call 0121 248 2120 or email events@rospa.com for more information.