This National Road Safety Week we salute all who work on our roads.
Drivers, road workers, traffic controllers, emergency services and roadside assistants risk their lives everyday on our busy road transport network.
Road transport workers face time pressures, fatigue, heavy manual handling, poor vehicle design, and exposure to gases and fumes as serious risks to their work health and safety. Emergency services and rescuers often place themselves in danger to help us out, while taxi drivers and couriers combat road rage, pedestrian traffic and hazardous road works every day.
Road crashes represent the most common form of work-related fatalities, at approximately 38 per cent. Workers’ compensation claims caused by work-related vehicle incidents generally lead to more time off work than most other workplace claims.
Adhering to road rules, staying alert and off mobile phones, and respecting our fellow road users are just some of the ways we can share the road responsibly and reduce injuries and fatalities.
If you drive a vehicle for work, it is workplace regulation to carry a first aid kit in the vehicle and accessible at all times. A fully stocked first aid kit can significantly improve the outcome of an injury, if not save a life.
When choosing a first aid kit for your vehicle, think about the number of people on board and what kinds of conditions you will be driving in. If you work in remote locations or regularly travel in off-road conditions consider a first aid kit suited to your specific needs.
A basic Motor Vehicle first aid kit should include:
- Wound dressings
- Gauze swabs
- Dressing strips
- Antiseptic
- Burnaid gel
- Bandages
- Sterile eye pads
- Saline eyewash
- Hypoallergenic tape paper
- Scissors
- Thermal blanket
- Resuscitation face shield
- Disposable gloves
- First Aid instruction sheet