RoSPA Launches New Trophy For Firms Cutting Road Deaths Through Technology

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has launched a new trophy aimed at businesses using the latest technology to cut work-related road accidents.

Sponsored by Tesco Dotcom, the new accolade will debut at RoSPA’s Occupational Health and Safety Awards this year to honour the best use of technology in managing occupational road risk (MORR).

Entrants in the overall MORR Award category who show an impressive use of tools, such as black boxes in vehicles, electronic and online management systems, e-learning, social media and electric vehicles, will be eligible for the new Technology in MORR Trophy.

RoSPA has campaigned fiercely for work-related road risk to be taken seriously by employers and regulators as more workers are killed or injured in work-related road accidents than by all other work activities combined.

Between a quarter and a third of all road crashes in the UK are estimated to involve a person and/or a vehicle at work at the time, which equates to around 150 people killed or seriously injured in work crashes every week.

Tesco Dotcom, the home delivery division of the UK’s biggest retailer, is a previous winner in RoSPA’s award scheme and has lifted the top MORR trophy five times, most recently at last year’s ceremony.

Dave Rawlins, RoSPA awards manager, said: “Use of technology has been a strong feature of Tesco Dotcom’s MORR operations, making it an ideal sponsor for this new trophy.

“The new award will join other specialist awards within the highly respected and long-standing RoSPA Awards programme.”

Cliff Cheeseman, Tesco Dotcom operations manager, said: “Tesco Dotcom is proud to be associated with RoSPA and equally proud to be sponsors of the Technology in MORR Trophy.

“RoSPA was a driving force in helping to shape our vision of a safer driving programme that protects the health and safety of our employees through managing occupational road risk. It has remained a great support as the programme has evolved.

“Technology has come a long way since the early days of Tesco Dotcom and it is important to embrace both the change and the opportunities that it gives to ensure continuous monitoring and improvement of occupational road risk for all.”

The country’s leading accident prevention charity, RoSPA, launched its occupational awards scheme in 1956 and it has gone on to become the largest and longest-running programme of its kind in the UK. For more information on the RoSPA awards scheme call 0121 248 2090 or email awards@rospa.com.