Reforming the future of workplace road safety using systems-thinking workplace road safety surveillance

Given the enormous burden of road traffic injury, governments around the world have allocated significant resources in an effort to improve the safety of road users. However, limited attention has been given to high-risk driver populations; particularly work-related drivers. The level of complexity involved in the multi-agency management of road safety means that new ways of thinking about workplace road safety are required to ensure the safety of work-related drivers. This paper argues that optimizing workplace road safety intervention is contingent on a surveillance system that allows the capture of data across all levels of the transportation system. The proposed system thinking framework is focused on identifying and assigning safety performance indicators to key actors across the transportation system, rather than focusing solely on the behaviours of the individual-driver. It is argued that a system thinking workplace road safety surveillance system has the capacity to facilitate the review and revision of current risk controls and allow the design of targeted safety interventions to improve the safety of people who drive a vehicle for work. The framework is ambitious; however, it is essential to create a platform that facilitates the sharing of responsibility for workplace road safety across the transportation system and provide the evidence to ensure that interventions are appropriately targeted and evaluated. The power of this type of data capture has the potential to reframe the planning and management of road safety to reduce death and injury in the workplace.