Integration of Work-Related Fleet Safety within a Workplace Health and Safety Management System:

This paper reports the findings of a research project initiated to assess work-related fleet safety issues
in a state government organisation. In particular, special attention is given to identifying fleet safety
factors for integration into a wider Workplace Health and Safety Management System (WHSMS).
This exploratory case study was carried out across five regional areas, within the state of Queensland,
and involved two major components: i) field based interviews; and ii) an analysis of organisational
fleet safety operational procedures. Face-to-face interviews (n=146) were conducted with a wide range
of staff, using a semi-structured questionnaire. The analysis of fleet safety procedures focussed on
work-related vehicle incident reporting, identification of hazard and risk exposures, effectiveness of
training and induction programs, and analysis of current safety management systems including policy
and procedures. Results of the study suggested that fleet safety within the organisation was not
considered a priority and as a result, the full extent of organisational crashes and vehicle-related
injuries was relatively unknown by senior management. In addition, this study identified a number of
operational and procedural deficiencies in relation to fleet safety. This paper will further outline the
major findings of the study and propose recommendations directed at improving fleet safety within
organisations as well as integration of fleet safety within a WHSMS.