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Employers are being urged to establish a clear policy on work-related mobile phone use by their on-the-road staff.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is urging organisations to establish a clear policy on mobile phone use for their staff.

In the light of the government's proposal to allow the police to prosecute any employer who "causes or permits" a worker to use a mobile phone while driving, the (CIPD) are recommending that employers give clear advice to their employees on the use of mobile phones while behind the wheel.

Diane Sinclair, Lead Adviser Public Policy at the CIPD, said: "Employers need to make it clear to employees, particularly those who do a lot of driving as part of their work, that they should not make or receive calls, using a hand held phone, while driving.

New Legislation

"This will ensure that they protect their employees, other road users and themselves. The basic advice is that employees need to pull over and switch off the engine if they want to use a mobile phone."

While the CIPD is looking at the details of the proposal and what it might mean for employers and the self-employed, it says that organisations need to prepare for the possibility of new legislation. Meanwhile company policies should be established and both new and existing staff should be made aware of that policy.

Road Safety Minister David Jamieson said: "We know that driving a vehicle whilst using a hand-held mobile phone is dangerous. Our recent advertising campaign has increased awareness of the dangers of this and the police already prosecute those irresponsible drivers who insist on using their mobiles. But there is still a core of motorists who are ignoring these warnings. We are therefore consulting widely on introducing a specific offence of driving while using a hand-held mobile phone. This should leave no one in any doubt that we are serious about the dangers that this practice presents to drivers and all road users.”

Risk Assessment

The CIPD has long advocated that employers should provide additional training for those employees who undertake high mileage as part of their job, including a competency and risk assessment. Diane Sinclair says: "Employers have a duty under the Health and Safety legislation to ensure that employees face as little risk as possible in their everyday work. Road safety continues to be a concern, and the government's stance on mobile phones is part of its overall drive to reduce deaths on the road."

Recent figures suggest that nearly three-quarters of all adults in the UK either own or use a mobile phone provided for them by their work. Research which has also shown that drivers are four times more likely to have an accident if they are using a mobile phone.

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