Jacobs provides professional technical services to clients around the world, focusing on scientific and speciality consulting, as well as all aspects of engineering and construction, and operation and maintenance.
In 2015, it partnered with fleet safety specialists Applied Driving Techniques (ADT), to improve compliance and safety standards among its 5,000+ strong workforce in Europe. This primarily involved developing its driver safety management system (DSMS) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic had presented a range of challenges to Jacobs, including changing government travel guidelines, health risks, emptier roads creating a temptation to speed, among many others. Working alongside ADT, it created a new ‘Driving Safely During COVID’ strategy as an extension to its DSMS that enables its drivers to keep delivering to clients while remaining safe themselves.
Elements of this strategy included:
- Virtual workshops replacing practical driver training;
- All travel being approved by senior leadership in conjunction with health and safety leads;
- A ‘return to travel’ pack to help staff adapt to changing guidelines; and
- Enrolling higher-risk drivers in a new training programme including a virtual workshop and 1-1 in-vehicle training sessions when restrictions were lifted.
This was paired with a newly-defined communication strategy that let it regularly update staff via multiple channels as government and local guidance evolved.
The programme is written into Jacobs’ global travel policy and is applicable to all staff worldwide.
Following the launch of this new programme, road incidents involving Jacobs’ drivers have reduced and the average cost of claims has fallen, with a £2,000 drop recorded over five years. ADT has also seen an increase in queries to its helpdesk from Jacobs’ teams.
Jacobs and Applied Driving Techniques won the 2021 Fleet Safety Partnership Award at the UK Fleet Champions Awards.
See more previous winners.