The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 covers the safety of employees and contractors wherever they are working for you, and this includes when they’re in a vehicle driving for work, whether they are driving or just a passenger.
What this means is that they must have a licence for that vehicle (if they are driving), the vehicle must be roadworthy and there must be adequate first aid supplies available to deal with any injury that could occur. Travelling first aid kits are readily available for $30-40 and can fit in the glovebox or boot. They may need to be refreshed periodically if there are items in them that expire.
If you give a person a first aid kit, they must know how to use it. This is why first aid training is important for your team members.
Other safety equipment that remote workers or workers working alone in the field must have is a way of contacting based which is reliable. A cellphone plus a GPS, CB radio, satellite phone or locator beacon is usually sufficient.
NZTA recommends that all vehicles should be fitted with a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit, a torch, a reflective vest and an emergency triangle. If a vehicle is fitted with a fire extinguisher, it’s a requirement under the Act to provide training in how to use the fire extinguisher.
Darren has written over 3000 articles about driving and vehicles, plus almost 500 vehicle reviews and numerous driving courses. Connect with him on LinkedIn by clicking the name above
Disqus
