This webinar explores a research program that explores the leadership practices that both support & constrain safe driving behaviour & interventions designed to mitigate driving risk.

The focus of this webinar is workplace road safety and how to drive its development. To improve driving behaviour, it is necessary to look beyond individuals’ compliance with safety procedures and at the influence of leadership practices.

Presenter

Dr Sharon Newnam is an organisational psychologist with the Monash University Accident Research and has conducted theoretical and applied research in workplace road safety for the past 12 years. Her research focuses on understanding a range of factors influencing unsafe driving behaviour, from the individual characteristics of drivers to the safety practices of management and beyond.

Dr Newnam has made significant contributions at the industry and government levels to reduce the social and financial impact of work-related driving crashes. Dr Newnam received her doctorate degree in organisational psychology from the Queensland University of Technology, Queensland, Australia.

Some insights from the webinar which Sharon expands on

Practical implications/recommendations

  • Workplace road safety needs to be better integrated within OHS AND operational activities
  • HPWS practices have not been designed or implemented with consideration of the driving role and safety
    • Bottom-up approach
    • Translation of knowledge into practices
  • Remuneration encourages safe driver behaviour, but only under conditions of high commitment to safety
    • Investment by senior management in the health and wellbeing of its employees
    • beyond mandatory requirements is fundamental in balancing the extrinsic motivations inherent in remuneration

Take Away Points

  • Workplace road safety is incredibly complex!
    • Risk management
    • Operational activities
    • Safety culture
  • The design of organisation policy and practice needs to consider the safety of those who drive a vehicle.
  • The (re)design of policy and practice should consider the challenges associated with safe driving practice.
    • Drivers
    • Leadership