An approach to improve safety performance for work related road traffic by applying an occupational health and safety (OHS) framework

In 2023, about 1.19 million road users were killed according to the WHO, and the Academic Expert Group (AEG) estimates that approximately one-third of these deaths were work-related. This paper emphasizes that employers are bound to occupational health and safety (OHS) standards while using public roads and should ensure the same attention to traffic injury prevention as in other workplaces. Using analysis of current practices, this paper explores the interplay between road traffic rules and OHS regulations. Work-related driving requires compliance with both road rules and OHS obligations. Organizations often violate road rules, undermining OHS principles that demand that employers take every reasonable step to maximize safety through the use of effective and evidence-based safety measures. This means that work-related traffic should exceed the minimum safety requirements encoded in road rules, and maximize safety through the use of the best available methods. Research shows that several key road safety prevention strategies have demonstrated positive effects, allowing for effective implementation of OHS laws. This paper proposes a 5-point assessment of organizational safety compliance and rigorous safety management based on well-established key safety factors.