This assessment should never be viewed as a one off exercise. It is required periodically and must be seen as a 'living' policy which is revisited and reassessed to ensure it is always relevant to the company and its operations.

In the event of a work related road fatality or serious injury the company must be able to demonstrate adherence to the minimum standards required under their duty of care for employees. Therefore the employer must have all of the following:

• A current and robust corporate risk assessment in place covering all employees driving on business (including cash allowance takers).
• A risk mitigation plan in place to address any general and specific issues identified by the risk assessment.
• An audit trail to demonstrate that risk assessments are carried out periodically and that management action is taken to address any areas where unacceptable levels of risk have been identified.
• Clear policy documentation and procedures in place to ensure employees are aware of both their own and the company's responsibilities in minimising work related road risk.

If a company does not address these areas then they could be deemed deficient under health and safety law and face prosecution by the Police, HSE or the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA). This could result in a prosecution against an individual director, manager or, under Corporate Manslaughter Act, the organisation as a whole.

It is also worth noting that some companies have already faced hefty fines from the HSE not as a result of fatalities where there were vehicle or employee failures (such as the vehicle being unfit for purpose or the driver having an invalid driving licence) but purely for having no policies or procedures in place to assess whether the person or the vehicle was safe and fit for purpose in the first place.

When carrying out a risk assessment, an understanding of what constitutes a risk is essential. Whilst expert advice is always recommended, the following table highlights some of the main considerations.

Good risk management practice revolves around conducting regular risk assessments, identifying areas of unacceptable risk, and then instigating policies and procedures to address these issues.

Companies must ensure that a management structure exists on an ongoing basis to maintain and manage the risk assessments and implement control procedures, thus minimising risk as far as reasonably practicable.