National fleet safety programme – New Zealand

In New Zealand approximately 30% of workplace deaths and 13% of workplace injuries occur on the road, in work vehicles, making them the biggest single category of workplace deaths. A survey in 2009 found that most fleet owners were not meeting their responsibilities under the Health and Safety in Employment Amendment Act (2002). The survey findings – and the high workplace road risk prompted the development of an interagency Fleet Safety Programme. The programme has been designed to help employers and managers improve their fleet safety by offering information, advice and practical help. The programme is an innovative approach in that it uses traffic infringement, crash and fleet data. Commercial fleets are then ranked according to potential road risk. Injury claim data and employer information are also considered for fleets indicating higher potential risk – to produce a broader understanding of health and safety performance for companies. All fleet owners identified as having medium or high risk fleets receive automated letters inviting them to log on to a Fleet Safety website offering information and resources to enhance safety interventions. Additionally, regional inter-agency teams will visit high risk businesses to offer advice and initiatives to reduce existing risks. Phase 1 of the programme (Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions) will be discussed, including the process evaluation and findings. Experiences of stakeholders will be explored by sharing some case studies.