Driving for Better Business at the Health and Safety Event
30th April – 2nd May 2024 – NEC, Birmingham
Driver Safety Zone and Seminar Theatre
We’re presenting three days of expert opinion, good practice and thought leadership in the Driver Safety Zone 2024. It’s a vital update for safety professionals.
The videos of all the theatre sessions will be available after the event – register now for access.
We’ll watch what happens when a serious incident involving an employee driving for work results in a prosecution – but was it the driver’s fault or was the employer at fault?
We’ll examine what went wrong, why it went wrong, and what a subsequent investigation and prosecution could look like. More importantly, we look at what companies should be doing to avoid a similar scenario happening to them.
DRIVER SAFETY THEATRE PROGRAMME
We’re presenting three days of expert opinion, good practice and thought leadership in our dedicated presentation theatre. Register below to access the videos.
Tuesday 30th April, 10:30 – 15:30
| 10:30 | Mock Trial Presented by Driving for Better Business and LMP Legal On a day that started out just like any other, Bob Adams, a van driver very similar to many of those that work for you, begins his day’s work schedule. Some very common examples of poor driver safety management align and result in a serious incident involving a cyclist – but was it the driver’s fault or what is the employers? We examine what went wrong, why it went wrong, and what a subsequent investigation and prosecution could look like. More importantly, we look at what companies should be doing to avoid a similar scenario happening to them.A common piece of feedback from last year’s mock trial was “That was such a good presentation – I wish my directors had been here to see that!” This year, we’re running a mock trial on each of the three days. This is an excellent chance to get your directors to understand full scope of work-related road risk and to ask questions of our legal experts.  Charlotte le Maire, Founder and Partner of LMP Legal, criminal and regulatory defenceCharlotte is a specialist criminal and regulatory lawyer and barrister. She is frequently instructed to provide critical advice in the immediate aftermath of a serious or fatal incident. She is recognised nationally as a leader in the field of Fleet Risk and is regularly invited by corporates, insurers, brokers and fleet risk charities to provide training in relation to road safety matters, as well as providing practical solutions to criminal and regulatory challenges.  Simon Turner, Campaign Manager, Driving for Better BusinessSimon is a strategic communications specialist with 35 years experience, the last 18 of which have been in the field of work-related road safety. As Campaign Manager for the National Highways Driving for Better Business programme since 2015, he focuses on the safety and wellbeing of those who drive for work, the performance of those who manage them, and the impact their activities have on the environment. Simon is Chairman of the Trustees at the Association for Road Risk Management, a member of the Rail Industry Road Risk Group and the PACTS Road User Behaviour Working Party, and sits on the Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards Judging Panel. |
| 12:00 | Launch of Driving for Work Policy Toolkit The Driving for Better Business team are launching a brand new, online resource that employers can use for free to write, review and communicate a good-practice driving for work policy to their workforce. Having a policy is a legal requirement, as is keeping it up to date, and communicating it effectively to drivers. This new toolkit is free to access and includes alerts when official guidance or legislation changes that could affect your policy. Simon Turner, Campaign Manager, Driving for Better BusinessSimon is a strategic communications specialist with 35 years experience, the last 18 of which have been in the field of work-related road safety. As Campaign Manager for the National Highways Driving for Better Business programme since 2015, he focuses on the safety and wellbeing of those who drive for work, the performance of those who manage them, and the impact their activities have on the environment. Simon is Chairman of the Trustees at the Association for Road Risk Management, a member of the Rail Industry Road Risk Group and the PACTS Road User Behaviour Working Party, and sits on the Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards Judging Panel. |
| 13:15 | Motivating and Managing Drivers This session will look at the whole process of building safe driving culture and motivating staff towards a safe driving-related goal and vision. The session will look at the importance of policy, management processes, leadership, expectations, training and monitoring compliance and progress.  Chair: Jim Magner, Programme Development Manager, Driving for Better BusinessJim has held senior roles within Logistics UK (formerly the Freight Transport Association) for over 30 years, including as General Manager of Membership Relations, responsible for engaging with member companies across all industries, and previously as Sector Head for Retail & Manufacturing. He joined Driving for Better Business to help broaden DfBB's engagement with the business sector & to widen the programme’s relationships with leading industry organisations. Jim is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.  John Wilkinson, Driver Safety and Performance Manager, Northern PowergridBefore working at Northern Powergrid, John was police officer with a passion for road safety. John led many local road safety initiatives including the national BikeSafe portfolio. In his role at Northern Powergrid, John works to reduce the risk that Northern Powergrid drivers pose to themselves and other road users through education, training and embedding a culture of safe driving principles.  Pete Rushmer, Managing Director, Flagship PartnersPeter has 20 years’ experience within transport, with a passion for health and safety. He started Flagship Partners to make clients safer, greener & greater through consultancy & training. Peter is a mentor and podcast host, specialising in; transport compliance, H&S, training & development. In 2023 he won Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the Peterborough Telegraph Business Excellence Awards.  Duncan McNicol, Head of Risk & Compliance, City Building Engineering Services LtdDuncan has been working in the risk management sector for almost 25 years, responsible for risk and compliance within CBES he recognises that fleet safety and occupational road risk are a key aspect of the business risk register, equal to that of other workplace safety risks. He believes engagement and education of their fleet drivers is fundamental to establishing a learning and continuous improvement environment, keeping standards high, drivers and roads safe. |
| 14:30 | Skill Decay, Distraction and Driver Stress Travis Perkins recently commissioned a major driver behaviour study, carried out by Dr Lisa Dorn, which identified three major areas for them to focus on in order to improve driver safety. Travis Perkins are now using these findings to guide their driver safety strategy including policies, driver training, intervention, recruitment and driver wellbeing. Lisa and Karl will talk through the reports finding and how these learnings are being adapted for use with the Travis Perkins fleet and what other driver safety managers can learn from the report.  Dr Lisa Dorn, Associate Professor of Driver Behaviour at Cranfield University. Founder and Director at PsyDriveLisa is recognised as a leader in the field of Traffic Psychology and has published over 30 peer-reviewed academic journal papers, presented at many international conferences and edited and co-authored nine books. Her main research interests relate to the design of behavioural interventions for managing risk associated with road user behaviour. On top of her academic endeavours, Lisa has now founded PsyDrive to provide expert independent consultancy and training on road risk management.  Karl Wilshaw, Fleet Director, Travis PerkinsKarl has been responsible for fleet safety at Travis Perkins since 2016. His current role is to provide directional leadership, operational capability, legal compliance, policy, vehicle and technical standards across a diverse specialist fleet of c.2,550 delivery vehicles. Karl places significant importance on sharing best practice and collaborating with other industry leads. |
Wednesday 1st May, 10:30 - 15:30
| 10:30 | Mock Trial Presented by Driving for Better Business and LMP Legal On a day that started out just like any other, Bob Adams, a van driver very similar to many of those that work for you, begins his day’s work schedule. Some very common examples of poor driver safety management align and result in a serious incident involving a cyclist – but was it the driver’s fault or what is the employers? We examine what went wrong, why it went wrong, and what a subsequent investigation and prosecution could look like. More importantly, we look at what companies should be doing to avoid a similar scenario happening to them. A common piece of feedback from last year’s mock trial was “That was such a good presentation – I wish my directors had been here to see that!” This year, we’re running a mock trial on each of the three days. This is an excellent chance to get your directors to understand full scope of work-related road risk and to ask questions of our legal experts. Charlotte le Maire, Founder and Partner of LMP Legal, criminal and regulatory defenceCharlotte is a specialist criminal and regulatory lawyer and barrister. She is frequently instructed to provide critical advice in the immediate aftermath of a serious or fatal incident. She is recognised nationally as a leader in the field of Fleet Risk and is regularly invited by corporates, insurers, brokers and fleet risk charities to provide training in relation to road safety matters, as well as providing practical solutions to criminal and regulatory challenges. Simon Turner, Campaign Manager, Driving for Better BusinessSimon is a strategic communications specialist with 35 years experience, the last 18 of which have been in the field of work-related road safety. As Campaign Manager for the National Highways Driving for Better Business programme since 2015, he focuses on the safety and wellbeing of those who drive for work, the performance of those who manage them, and the impact their activities have on the environment. Simon is Chairman of the Trustees at the Association for Road Risk Management, a member of the Rail Industry Road Risk Group and the PACTS Road User Behaviour Working Party, and sits on the Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards Judging Panel. |
| 12:00 | Legal Q&A Following the Mock Trial in the previous session, Barrister Charlotte Le Maire, a regulatory law defence specialist, will explain some of the key areas where employers often fail to meet their obligations and how this can impact risk management within the company and the ability to offer a credible defence in the event of a serious incident. Charlotte le Maire, Founder and Partner of LMP Legal, criminal and regulatory defenceCharlotte is a specialist criminal and regulatory lawyer and barrister. She is frequently instructed to provide critical advice in the immediate aftermath of a serious or fatal incident. She is recognised nationally as a leader in the field of Fleet Risk and is regularly invited by corporates, insurers, brokers and fleet risk charities to provide training in relation to road safety matters, as well as providing practical solutions to criminal and regulatory challenges. |
| 13:15 | Driver Health & Wellbeing The health and wellbeing of drivers is taking ever greater priority as it becomes clear that cognitive distraction can have a major impact on driver safety. Fatigue, diet and nutrition, job stress and personal worries about finances, relationships, family and health can distract drivers to the point they simply don’t see what’s going on around them. Our panel of experts will discuss how common some of these issues are and how you should be looking to manage them within your own workforce.  Chair: Professor Tim Marsh, Managing Director of Anker MarshTim is considered a world authority on behavioural safety, safety leadership and organisational culture. He was one of the team leaders of the original UK research into behavioural safety in the early 1990s, and has worked with more than 400 major organisations around the world. In 2018, Tim co-founded Anker & Marsh with Jason Anker providing a full series of training, assessment and consultancy services in employee safety, health and wellbeing.  Kate Walker, CEO of the Diabetes Safety OrganisationKate is the CEO of the Diabetes Safety Organisation, working in the construction and logistics sector, addressing the ever-present and increasing safety risk posed by diabetes. The company work to increase awareness and understanding of the invisible risks and health concerns associated with diabetes. Kate is also the Chair of a charity supporting people living with diabetes in the community.  Kanwal Kanda, HM Principal Inspector of Health and Safety, Head of Transport Sector, Health and Safety Executive22 years of regulatory experience with HSE covering a multitude of workplace risks across numerous industries. Kanwal has conducted investigations, prosecuted on behalf of HSE, and led HSE operational teams in regulatory work following workplace fatalities, injuries & cases of ill health, including numerous incidents with a transport related element. Kanwal is currently Head of HSE’s Transport Sector across Great Britain. This involves devising national transport safety policy aimed at addressing transport related health & safety performance across all industry sectors.  Dr Mark Piper, Toxicology Services Manager at Randox Testing ServicesWith a BSc (Hons) and PhD from Dundee University, Dr Mark Piper has been employed by Randox Laboratories Ltd since 1997 as a scientist specialising in the analysis of body fluids for the presence of drugs and alcohol. Since 2007 has been the Toxicology Services Manager of Randox Testing Services (RTS) co-ordinating workplace drug testing programmes and medico-legal / clinical monitoring studies under ISO/IEC17025 accreditation across the UK and Ireland. Secretary of the European Workplace Drug Testing Society and current co-chair for the EWDTS Guidelines review committee (committee member since 2014). Advisor for UK Network Rail’s revised drug and alcohol policy (2022). A member of several forensic toxicology associations and a recognised Court Reporting Officer having spent many years presenting scientific evidence as a forensic expert witness for industrial tribunals up to Crown and Coroners’ Courts. |
| 14:30 | Leadership in the management of driver safety This discussion will focus on the need for authentic top-down leadership as part of the driver safety culture. This is becoming increasingly important as clients seek to raise standards throughout their own supply chains, and entire sectors, by using the tendering process for new work to filter out those that can’t demonstrate good-practice management of driver safety.  Chaired by Anne-Marie Penny, Driving for Better Business Programme Manager, National HighwaysAnne-Marie has been in road safety since 2003, and managed motorcycle casualty reduction, campaign development, and was the Safety Camera Partnership Manager in Kent. She has been a trustee of the Eastern Alliance of Safe and Sustainable Transport and hosted the FIA International Road Safety Scholarship in Kent for three years. Anne-Marie joined National Highways in 2017 and leads the Driving for Better Business Programme and the Roads Policing Review for Motorcycling.  Tavid Dobson, Road Safety Lead, Rail Safety & Standards BoardTavid has been the rail industry road risk technical lead for the last 10 years, and is responsible for helping the industry introduce a collaboration framework to support learning, the sharing of good practice and providing the opportunity for rail companies to benefit from working together on improving the effective management of occupational road risk.  Mel Clarke, Director of Health and Safety, National HighwaysAs National Highways Director of Health, Safety and Wellbeing, Mel brings over 20 years of extensive operational experience to the role and leads on road operations and national and regional control rooms. Previously as Operations Director, Mel was accountable for delivering improved safety for all on-road staff and those of the supply chain. Mel specialises in leading large and complex operations, with diverse teams that are public facing within a 24/7, 365 days a year, safety critical service environment.  Andrew Cox, Managing Director, FM Conway LtdTBC |
Thursday 2nd May, 10:30 - 15:30
| 10:45 | Mock Trial Presented by Driving for Better Business and LMP Legal On a day that started out just like any other, Bob Adams, a van driver very similar to many of those that work for you, begins his day’s work schedule. Some very common examples of poor driver safety management align and result in a serious incident involving a cyclist – but was it the driver’s fault or what is the employers? We examine what went wrong, why it went wrong, and what a subsequent investigation and prosecution could look like. More importantly, we look at what companies should be doing to avoid a similar scenario happening to them.A common piece of feedback from last year’s mock trial was “That was such a good presentation – I wish my directors had been here to see that!” This year, we’re running a mock trial on each of the three days. This is an excellent chance to get your directors to understand full scope of work-related road risk and to ask questions of our legal experts. Charlotte le Maire, Founder and Partner of LMP Legal, criminal and regulatory defenceCharlotte is a specialist criminal and regulatory lawyer and barrister. She is frequently instructed to provide critical advice in the immediate aftermath of a serious or fatal incident. She is recognised nationally as a leader in the field of Fleet Risk and is regularly invited by corporates, insurers, brokers and fleet risk charities to provide training in relation to road safety matters, as well as providing practical solutions to criminal and regulatory challenges. Simon Turner – Campaign Manager of Driving for Better BusinessSimon is a strategic communications specialist with 35 years experience, the last 18 of which have been in the field of work-related road safety. As Campaign Manager for the National Highways Driving for Better Business programme since 2015, he focuses on the safety and wellbeing of those who drive for work, the performance of those who manage them, and the impact their activities have on the environment. Simon is Chairman of the Trustees at the Association for Road Risk Management, a member of the Rail Industry Road Risk Group and the PACTS Road User Behaviour Working Party, and sits on the Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards Judging Panel. |
| 12:00 | Incident Investigation The mock trial in the previous session centred around a serious road crash involving an at-work driver. The driver’s employer would be expected to conduct an internal enquiry to see if any lessons could be learnt to prevent it happening again. Was it entirely the driver’s fault or were there management failings that could have contributed? Andrew is going to examine how the employer should conduct such an investigation, what to look for, where to look and how to act on your findings.  Andrew Drewary – Managing Director, Road Safety SmartAndrew Drewary is a multi-award-winning road safety specialist in collision/incident investigation and has managed the investigation and analysis process for over 40,000 road traffic collisions over the last 21 years. He has provided bespoke, innovative and interactive evidenced based fleet safety solutions through data analysis, innovative driver and management training and collaboration with clients. |
All presentations and panel discussions will be available on video after the event - register below and we'll notify you when the videos are live.
