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

Claes Tingvall; Anders Lie; Peter Andersson; Jeffrey Michael

doi:10.55329/qomr9030

Authors

Claes Tingvall Monash University, Australia https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8494-3373
Anders Lie Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
Peter Andersson University of Gothenburg, Sweden https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1364-8717
Jeffrey Michael Johns Hopkins University, the United States of America

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55329/qomr9030

Keywords:

laws and regulations, management system standards, occupational health and safety (OHS), road traffic safety, safety performance factors, Vision Zero

Abstract

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.

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Author Biographies

Claes Tingvall, Monash University, Australia

Claes Tingvall is Professor Emeritus at Monash University Research Centre. He is retired from the Swedish Transport Administration as Director of Traffic Safety. He has published in injury epidemiology, safety rating and safety management. He was also chairperson of the Academic Expert Group for the Global Ministerial meeting on road safety 2020 and 2025.

CRediT contribution: Conceptualization, Methodology, Supervision, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing.

Anders Lie, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden

Anders Lie is retired from the Swedish Transport Administration. He received his PhD from the Karolinska Institute 2012. His work has included evaluations of modern vehicle safety technology as well as traffic safety management. From the start until 2018 he has been representing Sweden as a board member in the Euro NCAP crash test co-operation. Since 2014 Anders Lie is connected to Chalmers Technical University, Gothenburg, Sweden, as unpaid docent.

CRediT contribution: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing.

Peter Andersson, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

Peter Andersson is associate professor in private law at the University of Gothenburg. His research is focused on work environment law from a responsibility perspective. His research is often internationally oriented and concerns how regulation relates to current occupational health research. He teaches labour law on the law program.

CRediT contribution: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing.

Jeffrey Michael, Johns Hopkins University, the United States of America

Jeffrey Michael is a Distinguished Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy. His research focuses on the development of strategies for utilizing emerging mobility technologies and methods to improve road safety and reduce health disparities.

CRediT contribution: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing.

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