A multi-faceted two-year driver safety management strategy by engineering and design consultancy Atkins has culminated in the company becoming a ‘business champion’ under the Government-backed ‘Driving for Better Business’ campaign, which is delivered by RoadSafe.

The company rates driving by its 18,000 employees as one of the most significant risks they face and is focused on eliminating all occupational injuries.

In the UK the company operates a 3,250-strong fleet that includes: 2,500 company cars, 300 minibuses and MPVs and 450 light and heavy goods vehicles. In addition, 4,500 employees drive their own cars on business. The 7,000 car drivers travel some 25 million miles a year with the 750 other vehicles clocking up some 20 million miles annually.

The campaign aims to reduce the circa 200 road deaths and serious injuries a week resulting from crashes involving at-work drivers. More employees are killed and seriously injured on Britain’s roads while driving on behalf of their employer than in any other work-related activity.

Central to Atkins’ safe driving programme has been the introduction of a ‘Safe Operation System’ (SOS) whereby drivers log details of their at-work journeys with a central control room on a 24/7 basis.

The system captures real-time information around the location of work sites, the ‘at-risk’ time of drivers and employee risk assessments.

Lone workers are given a unique status within the system that generates hourly checks, and all drivers are monitored at the planned finish time of their journey by control room operators. An escalation procedure is implemented if a driver cannot be contacted directly at the planned journey completion time.

Drivers responding to out-of-hours emergencies are monitored by the centre from the time they leave home to the moment they return. Sub-contractors must also register with the system and it is also available to employees working for joint venture companies.

Other features of Atkins’ safe driving programme include: a new company car safety policy and safe drivers’ handbook; at-work driver risk assessments with on-road training for ‘high’ risk drivers and mandatory on-line assessment through the Institute of Advance Motorists (IAM); and an intranet e-learning module for staff who drive on business. Additionally, all passenger-carrying vehicle drivers are given a driver assessment by a qualified assessor prior to employment.

Additionally, Atkins holds its own transport seminars and assessments to train light commercial vehicle drivers. Although their main role is not driving, they are trained to the same standards as professional HGV drivers.

For company car drivers and employees driving their own cars on business, Atkins decided to focus on both their education and that of line managers so all understood the legal compliance responsibilities of both the company and themselves.

Neil Thomas, Group Managing Director of Atkins’ Highways & Transportation business, said: “Atkins is delighted to become a champion of the Driving for Better Business campaign. About 90% of all accidents are caused by the unsafe acts of people and, as such, Atkins concentrates on behaviour and attitudes. Directors undertake safety tours of our offices and depots to explore safety attitudes of staff, and highlight safe and unsafe practices/conditions. We also conduct monthly behavioural task audits looking at on people’s attitudes to safe working.”

Atkins has recently upgraded its incident reporting system which captures accidents, incidents and “near-misses” and can analyse the implementation of new measures following an accident investigation. Since its introduction there has been a significant increase in the reporting of ‘near misses’, which the company views as a positive step towards accident prevention enabling preventative action to be taken.

In 2008 Atkins recorded a 6% reduction in company car accidents whilst on business.

Commenting on Atkins’ joining the ‘Driving for Better Business’ campaign, Group QSE Director Richard Hulland said: “Our employees share the roads with other road users and acting in this capacity allows us to communicate our experience and vision to others and, especially, other companies in the engineering consultancy sector. A robust health and safety culture is at the heart of Atkins and key management meetings put safety as our first agenda topic.”

Campaign director Caroline Scurr said: “Atkins is at the forefront of introducing new initiatives to reduce the number of deaths and injuries on Britain’s roads. Our ‘business champions’ have a crucial role to play in promoting occupational road risk management across the UK.”

About Atkins:
Atkins (www.atkinsglobal.com) is a multinational engineering and design consultancy, providing expertise to help resolve complex challenges presented by the built and natural environment. Atkins is the largest multidisciplinary consultancy in Europe, the largest engineering consultancy in both the UK and the Middle East, and the UK’s second largest architecture firm.

Current projects include:

* Major infrastructure works, such as the design and programme management of the civil works for the Dubai Metro red and green lines;
* High profile transport planning and urban design – a scheme to deliver a diagonal crossing at London’s Oxford Circus will help solve the problem of pedestrian crowding;
* Key rail projects – helping improve train times on the West Coast Main Line through the design, installation, testing and commissioning of new signalling at Rugby and Nuneaton;

Atkins was named among the 20 Best Big Companies to Work For 2009 by The Sunday Times; The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers 2009; and The Times Top 50 Companies Where Women Want to Work 2009. The company was construction sector winner for the fourth consecutive year in the Target National Graduate Recruitment Awards 2009.
Atkins is the official engineering design services provider for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.