WIREDGOV

Employers can now opt for RoSPA-led workshops linked to a groundbreaking project that investigated the training needs of young drivers who get behind the wheel as part of their jobs.

To complement free online resources for firms running their own in-house Young Drivers at Work Workshops, RoSPA has now launched options for organisations that would benefit from the safety charity leading the sessions.

The RoSPA Facilitated Workshop sees two RoSPA trainers co-ordinating, organising and delivering the workshop at a company’s premises, giving feedback on the session and the issues raised and offering advice on how to further encourage safer driving.

The RoSPA Assisted Workshop involves a RoSPA trainer working alongside a staff member to prepare and deliver the session. It is ideal for firms that wish to train someone to conduct future sessions and also allows organisations to hear first-hand the issues encountered by their drivers.

RoSPA launched its new workshop options today at Safety and Health Expo in Birmingham.

Designed for 17-24-year-old employees, RoSPA’s Young Drivers at Work Workshop encourages participants to discuss their own experiences of driving for work, including personal tendencies at the wheel and wider issues such as deadline pressures, unfamiliar vehicles and travelling to new locations.

Participants develop safer driving strategies and discuss what their employers can do to help. After the workshop, it is intended that drivers will put their plans into action. The discussions can also act as a gauge to how well an organisation’s work-related road safety policies are being adopted.

Firms wanting to run their own workshops can find a free toolkit at www.rospa.com/roadsafety/youngdriversatwork/. The toolkit, which consists of an activity guide and facilitator’s notes, was the final stage of RoSPA’s two-year Young Drivers at Work project, funded by the Department for Transport.

Kevin Clinton, head of road safety at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: “We are extremely proud of our Young Drivers at Work Workshop and hope our two new RoSPA-led options will benefit many firms and young at-work drivers, particularly by giving employers the confidence to lead their own sessions in the future.”

For more information on the RoSPA-led workshops, call 0121 248 2233, visit www.rospa.com/driverandfleet/ or email fleetsolutions@rospa.com