Council seeks Low Carbon Guides 3 Feb 2010
2 February 2010
All employers in the Harrogate district who have staff with company cars, or who drive light goods vehicles or their own vehicles on behalf of the company, are being invited to attend a free event.
The 'Driving at Work - What I Need to Do as An Employer event is being organised by the Harrogate and District Health and Safety Forum with sponsorship from the Harrogate District Safer Communities Partnership.
Every day of the year more than 150 vehicles driven on company business are involved in some sort of crash on roads up and down the country.
With the Road Safety Act and the introduction of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2008, the business vehicle can no longer be ignored by employers says Jamie Hutchinson, Joint Chair of the Health and Safety Forum.
"We want to offer advice to employers about how they can manage road risk in their businesses.
As well as presentations from North Yorkshire Police, ROSPA and Langleys' Solicitors, employers will be able to test their own driving reactions and also hear from Roadsafe about the latest campaign -
Driving for Better Business."
Councillor Nigel Simms, Chair of the council's Licensing Committee and with special responsibility for health and safety enforcement, says that this free workshop is aimed at reducing the number of accidents involving vehicles being driven on company business in the Harrogate district.
He said:
"Any accident causes someone misery and these national figures are truly shocking.
There is huge personal cost to victims and their loved-ones, but it is generally businesses that carry the financial cost and if the proper precautions are not taken, employers could find themselves in the worst possible type of prosecution."
The event is being held on Wednesday, 17 February 2010 from 1.30pm to
4.30 pm at the Pavilions on Wetherby Road, Harrogate.
For more information or to make a booking, please call 01423 556905 or email
lynn.widdows@harrogate.gov.uk