Does your organisation actively manage the risk associated with employees who drive on its behalf?
Would you like formal recognition for your corporate achievement in promoting road safety?
If the answer to either of these questions is ‘yes’ you should consider applying for IAM Fleet risk management accreditation.
Benefits to your organisation:
- demonstrates your corporate commitment to the relevant health and safety standards
- offers a template for on-going driver training and road safety awareness programmes
- encourages continuous improvement of corporate road safety performance
- promotes greater safety for your drivers and other road users
- increases credibility with customers and public
- builds greater awareness of health and safety issues
- recognition for your risk management standards and a key tool in promoting a fleet safety culture
IAM Fleet, the commercial division of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, is one of the leading providers of fleet risk management solutions. Its accreditation scheme provides organisations with an objective assessment of the systems, processes and interventions they employ to reduce occupational driving risk.
What are the benefits of accreditation?
Accredited organisations can use the IAM Fleet logo and the words ‘Accredited by IAM Fleet’ on its stationery and promotional or marketing materials, giving them increased credibility with their customers and the public.
Accreditation also keeps the messages associated with safer driving in the forefront of employees’ minds and exerts a unique form of ‘peer pressure’ encouraging them to continue improving their own driver development and safety awareness.
In addition to the formal assessment, IAM Fleet provide benchmarks and examples of best-practice for accredited organisations to follow, so they can continually improve their road safety performance.
What is the process?
Accreditation provides the only objective means by which an organisation’s performance and its practices in relation to driver safety can be compared with pre-determined standards.
The initial accreditation process normally takes two days and is carried out by a senior IAM Fleet assessor. Broadly, the assessor will be looking for evidence that driver safety is important within the organisation’s culture.
This might be demonstrated in a number of ways, for example by: the existence of a Driver/Vehicle policy, a policy on the use of mobile phones, the frequency of driving licence checks, whether drivers are risk-assessed, whether there is any internal monitoring of driving standards, and the effectiveness of any incident reporting regimes.
What happens following accreditation?
Following the assessor’s visit, your organisation will receive a report highlighting the areas of activity which have been assessed and which have resulted in accreditation being awarded.
We may also identify areas offering some scope for improvement. These will be examined on subsequent review visits.
Upon successful accreditation, the organisation will receive a certificate (or certificates) to confirm its accredited status.
How often does accreditation take place?
After accreditation has been conferred on an organisation, it is reviewed annually. This normally takes a day; however, IAM Fleet is happy to offer guidance and advice at any time to accredited organisations on any aspect of driver safety.
And the business case for accreditation?
Road safety in general – and occupational driver safety in particular – are moving rapidly up both the political and corporate agendas.
Increasingly, organisations are looking for ‘validation’ for their processes and procedures, across all aspects of their business. In most fields, validation is available through schemes like ISO, Investors in People, and other quality assurance programmes. However, with the exception of IAM Fleet accreditation, there is no externally validated scheme for recognising the efforts organisations make in improving driver safety.
IAM Fleet accreditation adds value to any commercial or other organisation that wants to be seen by its customers as socially responsible, and committed not only to the welfare of its staff but also to promoting greater safety for all road users.
So what does accreditation cost?
Initial accreditation, together with on-going support and materials, costs £2000. Having achieved accredited status, organisations are re-assessed on an annual basis to ensure they continue to maintain accreditation standards. A fee of £1000 is payable annually for re-assessment.
IAM Fleet has ISO 9001 accreditation encompassing ‘the design and provision of specialist training and education in advanced driving techniques for companies and other organizations
All profits made by IAM Fleet are re-invested in road safety through the IAM
