Who should investigate work-related road deaths?
Dated: 06/11/2008
The House of Commons Transport Committee said the HSE's lack of involvement in such incidents was "anomalous" and called on the Government to "review the role" of the Executive.
A new report on road safety from the committee pointed out that, according to Government estimates, between 750 and 1,000 road deaths were work-related in 2007. By comparison, the HSE had reported there were 228 fatal injuries to workers in 2007-08, with road incidents excluded from its figures.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), which has long called for greater HSE involvement in road safety, welcomed the committee's report.
Kevin Clinton, RoSPA head of road safety, said: "RoSPA has been campaigning about managing occupational road risk for more than 10 years and we believe the Health and Safety Executive could have a much greater part in this."
The committee's report also called on the Government to use tax breaks and other financial incentives to encourage employers to use vehicles with additional proven safety features, such as electronic vehicle stabilisation, data-recorders and pre-ignition breath tests.
The full report can be downloaded from the Transport Committee website.
