LEGAL VIEW MITIE SELLS CATERING
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR EMPLOYEE HAS A
ROAD ACCIDENT DURING WORK HOURS
By Kate Gardner, Health and Safety Consultant,
International Workplace
Employers are responsible for ensuring, so far as is
reasonably practicable, the health and safety of their
employees. Some FM related work activities or jobs
involve driving, such as maintenance service staff or cleaning
operatives. Employers have a duty to ensure that they are fully
assessing the risks involved with their employees who carry out
driving-related jobs and taking reasonable measures to reduce
such risks. The HSE recommends the following safety checklist
which employers should consider in order to manage workrelated
road safety eff ectively:
Safe checks
Necessary checks should be carried out on drivers; including a
record of necessary documents, the validity of driving licences
and that they satisfy eyesight and other health requirements of
the Highway Code. Adequate instructions and training should
also be provided, and employees should have clear instructions
on how to keep themselves safe on the road, how to maintain
their vehicle and what to do if their vehicle breaks down. It’s
also important to check which vehicles are most suitable for
their employees to use and ensure that they are fi t for purpose,
as well as considering if they have the necessary safety devices
i.e. camera systems and proximity sensors. If the employee is
driving a lorry or HGV, does the vehicle have side protection
bars to protect cyclists? Daily checks on the vehicle should also
be carried out, for example on windscreen wipers and tyres.
Ensure the vehicle is insured for business use, is taxed and
serviced and also has a valid MOT certifi cate.
Safe Journey
Employers should go beyond checking the safety of their driver
and vehicle, and should also take into account external factors
such as the weather and the allocated driving times (sleeprelated
incidents are most likely between 2am – 6am and 2pm
– 4pm). The route in which their employees will take should
be considered, for example where HGVs or lorries are used,
employers should investigate whether the route will involve
any tunnels or bridges and if so, whether or not the vehicle
meets any height or width restrictions.
Whilst employers can do as much as they can in respect of
ensuring the safety of their employees, some road accidents
are unavoidable. The same regulations and principles apply
to road-related accidents as they would to ordinary workrelated
accidents. Therefore, where an employee has had a road
accident, the employer should ensure that they:
Report all accidents; all accidents should be reported, and
more serious road accidents should be reported in a RIDDOR
report under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous
Occurrences Regulations 2013. This should be done immediately
and in any event within 15 days of the accident;
Notify their insurance company; a claims investigator can be
appointed to investigate the accident in case it is much more
serious than anticipated and a claim is made against the
business;
Give employees ample time off; make sure that employees are
given enough time to fully recover before going back to work. This
would also be a good time for employers to further assess their
risks and consider how safety could be improved, if at all.
6 SEPTEMBER 2019
BUSINESS TO CH&CO
Mitie Group has entered into an agreement to sell its catering
and hospitality business which includes Gather & Gather and
Creativevents to CH&CO for a consideration of up to £85 million in cash as
part of its strategy to focus and simplify the company’s operations.
As part of the deal, Mitie and CH&CO will enter into a strategic partnership
ensuring that the “Gather & Gather” catering o er remains exclusive to Mitie’s
clients as its only integrated facilities management sector partner.
The decision to sell Mitie Catering follows a strategic review of Mitie’s
business, focusing in particular on how to ensure that Mitie’s clients benefit
from the very best in catering choice and competitive pricing. This concluded
that Mitie Catering’s long-term future would be better served by being part of a
larger specialist catering group, rather than being self-delivered by Mitie.
The sta and senior management team of Mitie Catering, including Managing
Director, Allister Richards, will transfer to CH&CO and will continue to run the
business. Whilst Catering services will remain an important part of Mitie’s IFM
service o ering to its customers, under the strategic partnership with CH&CO,
Mitie will no longer be self-delivering this service.
The proceeds of the sale will be used to further strengthen Mitie’s balance
sheet and reinvest in Mitie’s core business.
BSRIA PUBLISHES WHITE PAPER ON
‘MEGATRENDS: GLOBALISATION’
In the last of its series of four ‘Megatrends’ white papers,
BSRIA explores one of the defining issues of our age; one
that a ects almost every aspect of life and business, and
one which is already having a big impact on Building
Services across the world.
Globalisation has become one of the key phenomena of
the modern life, but there is still a lot of controversy about
what it actually means, let alone whether and how far it is
to be welcomed.
The paper explores and analyses the four principle
drivers of globalisation in the economic, political and cultural spheres and the
technology that is enabling and accelerating the whole process. It also examines
the many ways in which these drivers interact, o en reinforcing each other.
It also looks at the developments which are working against globalisation or at
least slowing it down (‘slowbalisation’) or changing its character. It acknowledges
areas of contention such as the environment where di erent aspects of
globalisation are having a positive or a negative e ect.
Finally, it examines the key ways in which globalisation is already a ecting
building services and how it may do so in future, drawing on BSRIA research into
these areas and helping both business leaders and building specialists to
prepare for this.
NEWS & ANALYSIS FMJ.CO.UK