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Former Met Police chief wants van accreditation schemes extended to cover cars
Date: 28 October 2016 | Author: Daniel Puddicombe
Van safety accreditation schemes should be rolled out to car fleets, a former Metropolitan Police chief inspector has claimed.
According to Ian Brookes, who now runs health and safety advisement company Oscar Strategic Consulting courses, such as the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme or the Freight Transport Association's Van Excellence scheme should be rolled out to car fleet operators as companies "have a duty of care to other road users".
Brookes - who was speaking at the Fleet Industry Advisory Group's autumn workshop - added that any money invested into improving road safety would pay for itself.
However, he said it is important that the governance of such a scheme "is not inappropriately continually added to" in order to avoid fleets having to pay increased compliance costs.
"It is vital that fleets are represented on scheme governance committees so compliance requirements are set that mirror real world operational attainment and there is no standards' creep," he added.
"There is no magic wand. No one knows everything and people do resist change. But there are always challenges ahead. With the number of advances in many areas of fleet operations accelerating, it means decision-makers cannot relax," said FIAG chairman, Geoffrey Bray. "There must be a continuous process of learning and understanding in every business so policies and procedures change accordingly."
