Essential Steps for Fleet Risk Assessment

Learn how to conduct an effective fleet risk assessment with these three practical steps that will help you identify hazards, evaluate risks, and implement proper controls for your fleet management strategy. 

Before establishing measures or policies, a thorough vehicle risk assessment needs to be conducted. Here are three essential steps you can follow: 

Step 1: Identify Hazards 

A hazard is anything with the potential to cause harm such as work materials, equipment, work methods, poor work design or exposure to chemicals, noise or vibration. 

Step 2: Assess the Risks of Injury or Harm 

A risk is the chance, whether it be high or low, that somebody may be harmed. 

• Identify the risks associated with each vehicle and activity. What could potentially happen in a situation? 
• Identify the people who may be harmed. This could include employees, customers, contractors and members of the public. 

Also consider: 

• Construction on the road, extreme weather and time of day, for example. 
• Whether vehicles are being used correctly. For example, is the vehicle set up for the specific load it is carrying? 
• How likely it is for a hazard to cause harm and how serious that harm will be. This will help prioritise risks. 
• Previous accidents, incidents or near misses. 

When assessing risk, remember to consult with people like drivers and other employees as they may recognise potential problems or solutions you wouldn't. 

Step 3: Control the Risk 

Know what controls are currently in place, and then decide whether they are good enough or require improvement to prevent accidents or injuries. 

In this step, you need to use the information from your fleet risk assessment to develop an in-depth telematics policy. This policy will help you manage risks better and provide a future reference point for managing and protecting vehicles and drivers. 

How To Setup Your Telematics Policy 

We have used our decades of experience in creating telematics policies and our status as safety experts to develop a comprehensive white paper that explores the essential elements you need for such a policy and how to implement a risk assessment for vehicles successfully. As a fleet manager, when you need to improve fleet safety, contact Powerfleet today.