Home » FORS Standard » Version 7.1 » 3. Bronze accreditation » 3.1 Management » M8 Health and safety
FORS Logo Bronze

M8 Health and safety

Quick links

Evidence required

Requirement

To maintain safe and healthy working conditions.

Purpose

To reduce the risk of work-related accidents, injuries and cases of ill health and help ensure the health, safety and welfare of anyone affected by the fleet operation.

Demonstration

FORS Operators shall have a policy and procedures to reduce the probability and severity of work-related accidents, injuries and cases of ill health. The policy shall be supported by risk assessments or method statements and state the organisation’s commitment to health and safety.

The policy shall also:

  • Name the person with continuous and effective responsibility for health and safety
  • Describe how health and safety is managed, stating who does what, when and how
  • Outline the procedure for reporting workplace accidents, occupational diseases and dangerous occurrences (near-misses)
  • Be clearly displayed in the workplace

Health and safety risk assessments or method statements shall, where applicable, include:

  • Slips, trips and falls
  • Manual handling
  • Lone working
  • Substances hazardous to health
  • Access to vehicles and working at height
  • Working around moving vehicles
  • Reversing, manoeuvring and turning
  • Coupling, uncoupling and towing trailers

Operational and driving at work risks shall be assessed with control measures documented as a procedure, risk assessment or method statement. Operational and driving at work risks include:

  • D2 Seat belts, speed, distraction and adverse weather
  • D5 In-vehicle communications
  • V5 Safe loading and load restraint
  • O1 Routing, including prescribed passenger routes, designated routes to and from construction sites, and notified routes for abnormal indivisible loads (AIL)
  • O4 Passenger safety
  • O5 Specialist operations
  • O6 Security and counter-terrorism

Risk assessments and method statements shall include personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements for drivers, particularly PLV riders.

The policy, procedures, risk assessments, method statements, records and data relevant to health and safety shall be:

Prepare the following evidence

Health and Safety policy

A documented Health and Safety policy and procedure.

Provide evidence that the policy is clearly displayed and accessible to employees. This could include:

  • Photographs of displayed notices
  • Screenshots of electronic noticeboards or intranet pages
  • Other visual evidence showing employees can access the policy

Health and Safety risks

Provide risk assessments or method statements covering:

  • Slips, trips and falls
  • Manual handling
  • Lone working
  • Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)
  • Access to vehicles and working at height
  • Working around moving vehicles
  • Reversing, manoeuvring and turning vehicles

If you operate trailers or towing equipment, also include coupling, uncoupling and towing.

Operational and driving-at-work risks

Provide risk assessments, method statements or procedures covering:

  • Seat belt use, speed management, driver distraction and adverse weather
  • In-vehicle communications
  • Safe loading and load restraint
  • Routing, including any prescribed or designated routes
  • Passenger safety
  • Security and counter-terrorism

If relevant to your operation, also cover:

  • specialist operations, including ADR, abnormal indivisible loads (AIL), hazardous waste, non-hazardous upper-tier waste or longer semi-trailers

Reviewing your risk assessments

Review and update risk assessments:

  • When there are significant changes to your operation
  • Following an incident
  • When they are no longer suitable or sufficient

You do not need separate risk assessments if these risks and their control measures are fully covered in other documents, such as your Health and Safety documentation, Safe Systems of Work, Driver Handbook or Fleet Manual.

Back to top