LTB 620/17 – RMG/CWU Annual National Road Safety Week, 20 – 26 November 2017

[TrueBlueTerrier]

LTB 620/17 – RMG/CWU Annual National Road Safety Week, 20 – 26 November 2017 – Focus on Supporting ‘Think’ and the ‘BRAKE’ Annual Road Safety Week – Theme “Speed Down Saves Lives”: [In the UK speeding is still a major problem. It causes needless crashes, untold suffering and stops people living safe and healthy lives.]

No. 620/17/2017

14 November 2017

Our Ref: V4/17

RMG/CWU Annual National Road Safety Week, 20 – 26 November 2017 – Focus on Supporting ‘Think’ and the ‘BRAKE’ Annual Road Safety Week – Theme “Speed Down Saves Lives”: [In the UK speeding is still a major problem. It causes needless crashes, untold suffering and stops people living safe and healthy lives.]

To: All Branches with Postal Members

Dear Colleagues,

The UK National, Annual Road Safety week is an initiative created by “BRAKE” the Road Safety Charity, supporting and encouraging organisations, employers, fleet operators and Trade Unions to raise road safety awareness and prevent casualties.

Every 30 seconds someone somewhere in the world is killed in a road crash. The misery of road death and injuries caused by vehicles is a shameful epidemic that we should all try to reduce.

The HSE estimate that a third of all road traffic accidents involve someone who is at work. Last year over 500 people were killed, over 5,000 seriously injured and 40,000 slightly injured in collisions involving a driver, driving for work.

For any company with staff who drive for work – whether it’s a fleet of commercial vehicles, company cars – ignoring fleet driver and road safety can cost dearly. As well as being devastating to those involved, road crashes have massive financial, reputational and legal implications for organisations. For example, in the UK, the cost to employers of at-work road crashes is estimated to be around £3 billion a year.

Roads Safety Week is the beginning of a campaign to reduce accidents, injuries, deaths and suffering as well as reduce business costs through implementing road risk management programme of effective policies and procedures. Investing in fleet risk management therefore makes sound moral and financial sense for all organisations with staff who drive for work.

The ‘BRAKE’ (Road Safety Charity) Pledge is:

SLOW – Don’t Speed.

SOBER – Don’t Drink and Drive and be aware of the ‘Morning After’ risk over Christmas and the New Year!
SILENT – Don’t use a Mobile Phone whilst driving.
SHARP – Take regular Eye Tests.
SUSTAINABLE – Minimise unnecessary driving. One of the Key Safer Driving Awareness Raising Messages this Christmas and New Year is awareness of the ‘Morning After’ as many Drink Drivers are caught the morning after a night out drinking. Studies have shown a worrying jump in the number caught by Police after a night out and arrests between 6am and 8am, especially on Monday’s are rising by 5% a year
The campaign is all around improving road and driver safety, supporting, coaching and assisting drivers. This month is the ‘BRAKE’ road safety charity’s annual, UK national roads safety week, so the Royal Mail November Quarterly Road Safety Week (RSW), working with the CWU and Unite/CMA will be focusing on jointly supporting the National ‘Brake’ Road Safety Week. CWU ASRs will be fully involved as set out in detail in each of the Activity Plans via full input participation and support.

National Road Safety week is an initiative created and co-ordinated annually by “BRAKE” the Road Safety Charity, supporting and encouraging organisations, such as Royal Mail and the CWU to raise road safety awareness and prevent needless road deaths and casualties year-round. It also provides a focal point for professionals working in road safety to boost awareness and engagement in their work.

In the UK speeding is still a major problem. It causes needless crashes, untold suffering and stops people living safe and healthy lives.

Driving is unpredictable and if something unexpected happens on the road ahead – such as a child stepping out from between parked cars – it is a driver’s speed that will determine whether they can stop in time and, if they can’t stop, how hard they will hit.

That is why we are encouraging everyone to ‘Speed Down Save Lives’ for Road Safety Week 2017 (20-26 November).

We can all play our part in raising awareness about the dangers of driving too fast and this year’s campaign will focus on:

A few facts on why the ‘BRAKE’ theme is important:

Breaking the speed limit or travelling too fast for conditions is recorded by police at crash scenes as a contributory factor in one in four fatal crashes in the UK.
Drivers with one speeding violation annually are twice as likely to crash as those with none !
A recent Brake survey found that four in 10 (40%) UK drivers admitted they sometimes drive at 30mph in 20mph zones.
‘THINK!’ Speed Advice

1. The speed limit is a limit, not a target

2. Country roads often have sharp bends. Stay in control and give yourself time to react to unexpected hazards by braking before the bend, not in it

3. Driving too fast for the conditions is bad driving

4. Consider the consequences of causing an accident due to driving at excessive speed – If you cause an accident you will have to live with the consequences of deaths or injuries caused to others.

The CWU Health, Safety & Environment Department has been actively supporting the Road Safety Week campaign annually since 2003 and is pleased to be involved again.

Every 30 seconds someone somewhere in the world is killed in a road crash.
The misery of road death and injuries caused by vehicles is a shameful epidemic that we should all try to reduce.
For any company with staff who drive for work – whether it’s a fleet of commercial vehicles, company cars, HGVs etc – ignoring fleet driver and road safety can cost dearly.
Managing road risk is also a fundamental part of an employer’s legal and moral duty of care towards its employees and members of the public.
Driving is the riskiest activity most employees engage in. Road crashes account for 39% of work-related deaths in the European Union.
The Royal Mail Safety Team and CWU Health and Safety Department have agreed to work together on fleet and driver safety, raising awareness and standards, gaining buy-in, managing and reducing the risk to drivers, vehicles, and journeys; and to continually improve fleet and driver safety.

As previously stated, the initiative is corrective and supportive not punitive. Participation remains voluntary and is encouraged.

The three RM/CWU/Unite CMA activity plans for Road Safety Week are:-

An Activity Plan for Front Line Managers which focuses on completing key activities throughout the week.
An Activity Plan for all other managers which asks Managers to focus their SMATs or Observations.
An Activity Plan for CWU Area Safety Reps which asks the ASRs to focus their Safety Inspections on the completion of the front line manager activity plans which support the ‘National Brake Road Safety Week’.
The Royal Mail Group Regional Safety Health and Environment (SHE) Teams covering Royal Mail, Parcelforce, RMSS have been asked to liaise with the ASRs from both Unions to discuss participation and support with the road safety week’s activities.

ASRs were asked to follow the ASR activity plan/guide and schedule for the week. During Road Safety Week ASRs are asked to focus their daily Workplace Safety Inspections on a number of Units, preferably high impacting units and liaise with line managers to agree which high impacting units should be focused on and visited/Inspected during the November National Road Safety Week (RSW). Thanks for your support.

Managing road risk is also a fundamental part of an employer’s legal and moral duty of care towards its employees and members of the public. Driving is the riskiest activity most employees engage in. Road crashes account for 40% of work-related deaths in the European Union.

The Royal Mail Safety (SHE) Team and CWU Health, Safety and Environment Department have agreed to support the “Brake” and “Think” ‘Speed’ campaign and work together on fleet and driver safety, raising awareness and standards, gaining buy-in, managing and reducing the risk to drivers, vehicles, and journeys and continually improve fleet and driver safety.

Please see attached the Royal Mail road safety week materials. This year Road Safety Week 2017 will focus on “Speed” with the theme “Speed Down Saves Lives”.

Royal Mail will deliver some key messages through a number of channels including the Courier, RMTV, local screens, posters, WTLLs and much of the information and materials are attached. There are also special Road Safety Week Activity Sheets for Front Line Managers, Other

Managers and CWU Area Safety Reps which have been agreed by RMG and CWU HQ’s. The activities support the Speed Campaign and safe driving as the winter draws in. Attached are the Posters, Handouts, activity sheets for your attention ahead of next week’s campaign. The posters and materials will be sent to all Units.

There are 3 activity plans for Road Safety Week:-

A Front Line Manager’s Activity Plan, for Managers who manage drivers and this focuses on ensuring front line managers are aware of the Royal Mail Group Occupational Road Risk Standards and Policies and their responsibility to monitor drivers adherence to Driving Safety Standards and Policy with the key focus on speed this coming week.

The second Activity Plan is for Managers like Support Function Managers, Area/Sector Managers, Senior Managers etc which allows them to take part by completing related SMATs and checking their own and the Units they oversee, compliance to relevant Standards and Policies by ensuring completion of driver and vehicle related documentation for fleet vehicles etc and of course getting the ‘Speed’ control message out there.

The Regional RMG SHE Safety Teams will liaise and work with CWU Area Safety Reps and Workplace Safety Reps in order to ensure full involvement and participation by ASRs and WSRs and from there discuss and organise support for the week’s activities around driving safely and not speeding.

ASRs should contact local SHE team members and Area/Sectors Managers to discuss the activities planed asap.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

17LTB620 The UK National Annual Road Safety week is an initiative created by BRAKE http://www.cwu.org/wp-content/uploads/2 ... -BRAKE.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Brake RSW date poster 2017 NEW http://www.cwu.org/wp-content/uploads/2 ... 17-NEW.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Brake RSW2017_selfie_hand Poster 2 NEW http://www.cwu.org/wp-content/uploads/2 ... -2-NEW.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Links to videos around Speeding Nov 2017 http://www.cwu.org/wp-content/uploads/2 ... v-2017.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

RSW Handout – speed limits Logistics Final http://www.cwu.org/wp-content/uploads/2 ... -Final.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

RSW Handout – speed limits Operations Final http://www.cwu.org/wp-content/uploads/2 ... -Final.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

RSW Handout – stopping Distances Logistics Final http://www.cwu.org/wp-content/uploads/2 ... -Final.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

RSW Handout – stopping Distances Operations Final http://www.cwu.org/wp-content/uploads/2 ... -Final.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

RSW November 2017 ASR activity plan Final http://www.cwu.org/wp-content/uploads/2 ... -Final.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

RSW November 2017 Front Line Manager activity plan Final v2 http://www.cwu.org/wp-content/uploads/2 ... nal-v2.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

RSW November 2017 Other Managers activity plan Final v2 http://www.cwu.org/wp-content/uploads/2 ... nal-v2.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;