We live in a world where we are all constantly balancing risks – as individuals, as organisations and as governments. We trade risks off against each other, not always with a full appreciation of what the risks actually involve. For example, flying is safer than driving – except when it isn’t. A Quantitative Risk Assessment of land transport versus aviation for a project was able to demonstrate what the risks were for different aviation options, and different land transport options, to determine what would be the safest combination, saving the operator millions of dollars of misdirected investment.
In the current landscape we balance the risks of coronavirus against going out, but need to start looking at both the opportunities and threats that this brings to us. What will the future look like? The same as the past? Or greater use of being home based (changing journeys to the office from a commute to a business journey? And will drivers become deskilled if they only drive infrequently, even though their exposure is lower?
If carrying on using Zoom, Teams and Webex etc how do we maximise its productivity? Meetings over video are different and require different techniques from those participating in and chairing them – and we are presenting ourselves on camera, something most of us are not used to. So how do we decide when we need to travel, and when we can stay at home.
Organisation: The Transafe Network
Saul Jeavons is a Director of The Transafe Network Limited. He was formerly the Head of Investigations and Risk Management at the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), where his role included responsibility for road safety, collision investigation, and fleet safety teams, as well as on-scene management of rail crash incident teams.
Prior to his time at TRL he was Road Safety Manager of a leading private community safety consultancy having previously worked as an Area Road Safety Officer in a highway authority, also working in the Accident Investigation & Prevention Engineering and Safety Audit team.
Saul holds a BTEC Continuing Education Diploma in Accident and Safety Management, is a Fellow of the Association for Road Risk Management, an Academy Member of Road Safety GB. He also sits on the Management and Finance Committee of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, the Safety, Health and Wellbeing Panel (formerly the Road Safety Panel) of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, and the Council of Management of the Association for Road Risk Management.
Saul has undertaken projects for major multinational clients in the corporate sector, as well as for government departments and other public bodies in the UK and overseas. He has worked in more than thirty countries across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Far East, Central and South East Asia, Australasia and North America, including major projects on road safety policy for organisations including Shell and BP.
Saul specialises in communications issues relating to safety management, incident management, management of collision investigations and in multidisciplinary approaches to road safety problems.
He makes regular presentations to conferences and professional meetings, and provides training to road safety practitioners in a range of technical specialisms.
Saul is a former director of the Institute of Road Safety Officers, where he was Chairman of the Professional Development Committee. He was a visiting lecturer at the Hong Kong Police College on road safety matters. He currently provides risk management consultancy for a range of clients including global insurers and major oil and gas corporations.
