Union calls investigate on HSE to crashes
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THE HEALTH AND Safety Executive (HSE) is being urged to investigate road accidents involving trucks to highlight cases where had management by hauliers is to blame.
The Transport and General Workers Union (T&G) is raising the issue through the HSE's road haulage liaison group; this was established in 2001 in a hid to reduce the number of workplace accidents in the road transport industry.
Ron Webb the T&G's national secretary for road transport, points out that 50 truckers were killed on the roads last year: "Most people would accept it's a nonsense that the HSE doesn't deal with drivers falling asleep at the wheel and that its simply a matter for the police." He suggests that following an accident the HSE could help examine how the driver's working day was managed and what sort of pressure he was being put under.
-It is being tied into productivity deals and time schedules that make drivers go far too fast," he adds.
The HSE says the Health and Safety at Work Act means that people who drive as part of their job already come under its remit but the police and the Department for Transport remain the lead agencies in this area.
Ruth Pott. head of employment affairs for the Road Haulage Association and a member of the liaison group, points out that drivers' cabs are already among the most heavily regulated workplaces: "We don't particularly want to add to that."