Driver Inductions

Driver inductions should be carried with every new employee that will potentially be working for you. Driver inductions are crucial processes for the manager undertaking it with the new employee as well as the new employee.

Driver inductions should consist of two parts.

Part 1 is completed by the manager and should cover items such as:

• Company background
• Reporting procedure
• Any company accreditations that the company has, such as ISO 14001
• The role of the employee
• The procedure for reporting of faults and/or hazards, near misses and actual accidents
• Overview of the daily, weekly and monthly checks that have to be carried out by the employee
• Explanation of risks in the workplace
• PPE issue
• Contact details for relevant managers, supervisor and office staff
• Whether you carry out random Drug and Alcohol testing.

Wherever possible, you should have handouts for specific points, or you can combine everything into a three or four page word document.

Key messages

Employers need to ensure that all drivers and operators understand company policy and procedure on:

• health and safety;
• use of drugs and alcohol; and
• the penalties for failing to follow instructions and safe working practices

Health and safety standards

Think about what you need to tell new employees about the job, for example:

• How are the workplace routes laid out?
• Who is authorised to drive, and where?
• How and where should the worker report faults or hazards?
• How should they report accidents and near misses?
• What daily, weekly and monthly checks should they make?
• What particular risks are there in your workplace?
• What can they do to reduce or eliminate these risks?

Do drivers and operators need personal protective equipment, such as high-visibility clothing, head protection, driver restraints, safety boots and equipment to prevent falls?

Do they know where protective, safety and first aid equipment is kept, and when and how to use it?

If English is not their first language, how will you make sure they understand the instructions you give them?

Drugs and alcohol

Employers, managers and supervisors should never allow anyone who is unfit through drink or drugs (prescription, over-the-counter or illegal) to drive any vehicle.

A contract of employment should state your company policy on the use of drugs and alcohol; this should include evidence that random testing has been considered. The policy statement should allow workers to report their use of prescription and ‘off-the-shelf’ medication.

Licenses

Obviously if you are completing an induction for a new or replacement member of the driving staff, you will need to ensure that all licence copies have been taken, and that these have been placed upon the new drivers personnel file.

If your company uses an online licence checking bureau, it is imperative that a Mandate (D906/ADD) has been completed, signed and submitted for checking with DVLA and that you’ve had notification of the driver licenses, such as:

• Ordinary and Vocational Licence have been checked and confirmed
• The Expiry dates of cards including DQC and Driver Digital Card are noted
• The next due licence check and drivers risk score is noted

It is also advisable to photocopy any other cards the driver may have, including ALLMI, NPORS, and CSCS.

Part 2 of the induction process are items to be responded to by the employee, including:

• General medical conditions (if any) and any medication being taken

This concerns the usual list of general medical conditions

• For vocational licence holders, any condition that is notifiable to DVLA, which will include such conditions as:
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Angina or other heart conditions
• Visual problems affecting either eye
• Sleep Apnoea

If there is any medical condition such as the above, does the employee have any correspondence from either their GP or DVLA. If they do, a copy should be placed on their personnel file.

• Whether the employee wears glasses or contact lenses.

At this point, it is prudent to undertake an in-house eyesight check to ensure that the employee can read a registration plate at a distance of 20 metres. This should be fully documented and place on file.

Prior to completing the induction, the issue of any:

• Policies and Procedures relating to the position
• Staff and Driver Handbook
• Drivers Hours and WTD declarations completed (if applicable).

Upon completion, everything should be signed to confirm its been undertaken by the manager and employee.