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Rosemont Pharmaceuticals Ltd
Rosemont Pharmaceuticals Ltd is taking a proactive approach to road safety by enabling all of its staff who get behind the wheel for work to undergo advanced driver training. Around 70 employees of the Leeds-based firm, which develops, manufactures and markets liquid medicines for people who have swallowing difficulties, will be taking ROADTest, the only advanced driving test designed specifically to meet the needs of business motorists. Gary Knowles, Supply Chain Manager, said: “We have about 50 fleet vehicles and everybody who drives one of the cars will attend the ROADTest course.” Senior staff with company cars, employees who drive the firm’s delivery van and the 35 sales staff are among those going through the scheme. Until now, Rosemont Pharmaceuticals has put its staff through a one-day driver training course.
Mr Knowles said: “We wanted to do something that was a bit more thorough. We like ROADTest because it ends with an advanced driving test, which grades drivers. We will use the grading system to help us identify areas for further development.” Because of its high proportion of field-based staff, Rosemont Pharmaceuticals has arranged for two of its drivers to meet up with a ROADTest trainer at a location convenient to them. The drivers will undergo an initial day’s training, followed by a second day of training a few weeks later - the interval between training days enabling behavioural change behind the wheel to become embedded. Drivers then undergo a third day with the trainer, which involves a hazard perception assessment, theory and practical tests. The whole process for Rosemont Pharmaceuticals drivers is designed to take place over about five weeks. Mr Knowles said that work-related road risk was an issue that could not be ignored by any responsible company. “The majority of our drivers are sales people,” he said. “They drive many miles and spend a lot of time in their cars, and it is important that they drive as safely as possible for their own benefit and well-being. For their own personal safety, and the safety of others, we want to make them the best drivers that they can be. “As an added benefit, we hope that the improvement we see in driving will reduce the number of accidents we have. At the moment, we have one major incident a year and many very minor accidents. We want to eliminate as many accidents as we can.” ROADTest, which was developed jointly by RoSPA and DriveTech (UK) Limited, sets the benchmark standard for “at work” driving. Candidates are graded at one of four levels - from gold, which recognises a truly tremendous achievement, to un-graded, which signifies that more work is required. Successful drivers receive a certificate that is valid for three years and they can also apply to have their achievement upgraded to a BTEC-accredited qualification by applying to Edexcel. Click here for more information about the RoADTest
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