Safety for delivery drivers of vehicles up to 1,500kg (1.5 tonnes) 

Drivers of delivery vehicles can be subjected to various hazards in the course of their work which, unless controlled, could lead to accidents involving serious personal injuries.

Managing the risks

To help you to identify the hazards associated with delivery driving and the appropriate ways of controlling them, use our example Risk Assessment - Safety for Delivery Drivers of Vehicles up to 1,500kg (1.5 Tonnes). It covers the generic hazards associated with this type of activity and suggests control measures to reduce risks to an acceptable level. You should ensure that your document only addresses “significant” hazards, i.e. any that could, and more importantly are likely to, cause an accident or injury.

Make your instructions clear

Don’t include activities in your document that simply don’t need to be there. Work to the principle that if there is any chance of your staff being unaware of the safe way of doing something, then you will need to make it clear in your document. Finally, always ensure that any control measures you identify and follow are decided upon the principle of “so far as is reasonably practicable”.

Note. The list of potential hazards is not exhaustive. However, for your risk assessment to be considered suitable and sufficient in the eyes of the law it must accurately reflect the “significant” hazards found as part of your delivery operations.

Note. This risk assessment only deals with the generic risks associated with driving delivery vehicles. As such vehicles differ in size, type and function, you should ensure that all relevant hazards associated with the way you expect your delivery drivers to operate are considered. Any risks identified by the vehicle manufacturer in operating manuals etc. should also be taken into consideration.