October is National Safe Work Month and AMCA is driving home vehicle safety to keep people in the commercial heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) industry out of harm’s way.
This article is part of a series in our campaign, Driving blind? It’s a grave choice.
To help you navigate the different safe vehicle guidelines out there, here are some key training programs to consider for your workplace.
Workers in the commercial heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) industry often drive a work vehicle, which is why workplaces should have vehicle safety programs in place.
Vehicle safety policies, training and maintenance are vital to keeping employees out of harm’s way, with vehicle collisions accounting for almost one in three work-related deaths in Australia in 2017.
To help you navigate the different safe vehicle guidelines out there, here are some key training programs to consider for your workplace:
Safe driving practices
Staff members who drive as part of their job must be trained in safe driving practices, even if they are normally cautious behind the wheel.
Each vehicle should include a basic first aid kit, a company-issued mobile phone or radio in case of emergency and a high visibility vest and portable light for roadside repairs.
Vehicles should regularly undergo maintenance checks to make sure they are roadworthy, and any vehicles found to have faults should be taken off the road until they are repaired.
Drivers should be strictly forbidden from consuming alcohol or illegal drugs while on the job. Workers should avoid driving under the effect of any drug or alcohol that may impact their ability to drive safely.
In the event of an accident, drivers should stop immediately and turn off the ignition. They should place warning signs at appropriate places, assist injured persons out of danger and seek medical help when necessary.
For more information, see the AMCA’s Safe Vehicle Driving procedure, which is available exclusively to members as part of our Health and Safety Management System.
Tackle driver fatigue
To combat driver fatigue, workers and employers should provide training to identify risk factors and actions to mitigate them.
- Workers should be educated about:
- the body clock and how fatigue can affect it;
- risk factors for fatigue;
- symptoms of fatigue;
- hazards and risks that may be associated with fatigue;
- effective control measures for fatigue. For example, work scheduling, shift work shedules;
- procedures for preventing fatigue. For example, incident reporting;
- effects of medication, drugs and alcohol;
- nutrition, fitness and health issues relating to fatigue; and
- balancing work and personal lifestyle demands.
For more information, see the AMCA’s Fatigue Hazard Checklist, which is available exclusively to members as part of our Health and Safety Management System.
Transport hazardous materials
Drivers need to transport hazardous materials such as gas cylinders with care.
Before transporting gas cylinders, check that the cylinders are labelled correctly and wear safety gear like work gloves where necessary.
Use a lifting device like a hand truck to move cylinders around and avoid lifting cylinders by the valve.
To transport cylinders in a vehicle, secure all cylinders against moving during transport.
Use open vehicles or trailers over enclosed vehicles and limit the number of cylinders to be transported.
For more information, see the AMCA’s Gas Cylinder Safety procedure, which is available exclusively to members as part of our Health and Safety Management System.
Avoid driver distractions
Driving distractions such as mobile phones, passengers and car settings are a major contributor to vehicle accidents.
To minimise mobile phone distractions while driving, consider turning it off, turning on the ‘do not disturb’ function or putting it out of reach in the glovebox or car boot.
If you need to take calls while driving, set up a car phone mount with the hands-free function and keep calls short.
If you’re driving long distances or spending a lot of time in the car, plan dedicated breaks and inform anyone who needs to speak with you ahead of time so they can call you at the right time.
For more information, see the AMCA's Safe Vehicle Driving procedure, which is available exclusively to members as part of our Health and Safety Management System.
Working alone or remotely
Occasionally workers will have to work alone or remotely as part of their job, so it’s important employees understand the risks and how to address them appropriately.
Firstly, employees should conduct a risk assessment to identify potential hazards and suitable control measures.
Workers should get approval to work alone or remotely by completing a Working Alone or in Isolation Checklist and getting it signed off by their manager or supervisor.
Employees travelling alone between locations during work hours should maintain regular contact and notify managers of their time of departure, destination and estimated time of arrival.
Staff members driving in remote areas should keep an eye out for road trains, wandering stock and wildlife, floods and other risks, while staying alert to driver fatigue and night driving.
Some work must not be undertaken alone such as dealing with hazardous substances, naked flames associated with flammable solvents and other high-risk tasks.
For more information, see the AMCA’s Working Alone or Remotely procedure, which is available exclusively to members as part of our Health and Safety Management System.
Introducing and measuring training
Safe vehicle training programs are essential to keeping workers out of harm, however workplaces should provide training to ensure employees learn best practices and understand their responsibilities.
Employees are much more likely to follow safe vehicle procedures if company policies and programs are implemented with effective training.
Workplaces should also monitor the effectiveness of their training and adjust their approach where necessary.