Safe Driving at Work Training and Competence Assessment

This Product is for any person who is required to drive on company business, is employed as a driver (in the plant or on public roads) or is a local hire driver under company responsibility. This training also applies to personnel using a vehicle on behalf of a company.

This Product aims to ensure that all personnel required to drive a company vehicle can do so safely and in line with relevant driving related laws/ regulations.

The objectives of this training are that learners will be able to:

1) Identify and gain an understanding of local driving laws/ regulations, driving hazards, vehicle familiarisation and safety features, journey planning, and safety/preventive measures when driving a company vehicle.

2) Demonstrate driving safely using the right techniques and following road procedures.

In addition to the specified content within the Product employers may request inclusion of additional company and or/ local legislative information.

Attendance on this course is open to learners who have a driver’s license which is valid in the location where the training is to be delivered. 

Medical entry requirements

Training and/or assessment activities contained within this Product may include physically demanding and potentially stressful elements. All personnel who participate in such activities must be capable of participating fully.

Therefore, OPITO-approved Centres are required, to ensure that prior to participating in practical exercises the learner undergoes medical screening by completing an appropriate medical screening form provided by the OPITO-approved Centre.

The OPITO-approved Centre shall keep a record of the learner’s declaration of fitness in accordance with their document control policy(s) or procedures.

This information, along with summary details of the type of physical activities the learner will be asked to perform, will be given to learners by the OPITO-approved Centre and, if applicable, to their sponsoring company as part of the joining instructions. The responsibility for declaring any current or pre-existing medical conditions that could have adverse effects to the individual’s state of health while undertaking the training and/or assessment activities lies with the learner and/or company sponsoring the learner.

Where doubt exists regarding the fitness of any learner, the OPITO-approved Centre should direct the individual to consult a medical officer familiar with the nature and extent of the training.

Note: Practical exercises should be designed and delivered solely to meet this Product, and must not place on the learners any demands other than those required to meet the Product.

To achieve the Safe Driving at Work Training and Competence Assessment the learner will need to complete the 3 mandatory training units and the 2 mandatory competence units.

7 hours 20 minutes

Timing should be allocated in the following ways:

The contact time for the theory portion of the course is envisaged to be three hours 40 minutes which would include training and assessment.

The practical portion of the Safe Driving at Work programme, which has a maximum of four learners per car, should take up to three hours and include:

(a) A 1 hour demonstration of a pre-trip inspection including exterior and interior vehicle checks, seating and starting up followed by a demonstration drive by the instructor.

(b) A 40 minute period* for each learner to enable them to demonstrate competence over the range of variables required and to receive an individual feedback session on their performance.

Assessors may request a three minute commentary drive from each learner during the assessment as long the learner’s language skills are taken into consideration.

Note: Employers have the option to request inclusion of additional company and or/ local legislative information and the ability for the training to be delivered over 2 consecutive days where required.

As a result of the above note, the guided learning hours may be impacted by either or both of these factors.

Re assessment - Recommendation only.

Recommendation only: It is recommended that company drivers are put through the Safe Driving at Work training and assessment every two years to ensure that skills and knowledge of the driver is checked.

Individual company policy may dictate a different frequency for driver training and assessment

Please note: If the expiry date on the learners previous certificate is within 3 months prior of the course enrolment date then the date of the new certificate should correspond with the expiry date of the existing/previous certificate unless stated otherwise by the Duty Holder or Asset Owner or Operator.