What are the health and safety rules of a professional driver?
The occupational health and safety of professional drivers (OSH) is very important to ensure road safety. Professional drivers who spend many hours behind the wheel are exposed to many dangers, such as fatigue, stress or road accidents. Therefore, it is necessary to control the driver’s activity.
In accordance with the provisions of the labor law and the regulations on road transport, the maximum working time of the driver may not work more than 15 hours a day, during this driving time may not exceed 9 hours. After 4.5 hours of driving, the driver must take a break of at least 45 minutes. Such breaks should be taken at least every 4.5 hours of driving. These rules are intended to ensure road safety and protect the health of the driver and other road users.
Long driver working hours and the lack of adequate breaks can lead to fatigue, which in turn poses a threat to road users. A tired driver may misjudge traffic situations, make mistakes or react late, which can lead to dangerous situations on the road. Therefore, the rules on the working time of professional drivers are aimed at ensuring that drivers are rested and ready to drive. In addition, drivers must comply with certain limits of driving time and breaks, it is m.in. regular weekly rests. The introduction of such regulations is therefore crucial to ensure road safety and the health of drivers.
Road safety is very important for every road user, and in particular for professional drivers. Many road accidents result from excessive driver fatigue, which may be related to improper work and rest schedules.
Therefore, in the European Union there are standards on working and rest time for drivers, which are aimed at ensuring safety on the roads. According to these standards, professional drivers must comply with a certain working time limit and must have sufficient time to rest before starting driving again.
Shortened rest as part of the driver’s work hygiene is a break in the driving time, which allows you to regenerate your strength and avoid fatigue. According to European regulations on drivers’ working time, drivers should rest for a certain period of time between working periods to prevent fatigue-related accidents. Shortened rest is one of the types of breaks that a driver can take during his working time.
A shortened rest period is a break of at least 30 minutes that can be taken at petrol stations, parking lots or other places where the driver has the opportunity to rest. It is important that the driver has access to a comfortable place to sit, eat and toilet during a shortened rest.
It should be remembered that shortened rest does not replace the full rest that the driver should provide himself before the start of the next period of work. However, shortened rest can be a good way to relieve fatigue during a long ride and improve the overall well-being of the driver.
The weekly working time of the driver is the number of hours that the driver devotes to work over seven days, counting from midnight Sunday to Monday to midnight from Saturday to Sunday. In the case of drivers performing international road transport, the weekly working time is counted from midnight Sunday to Monday to midnight Sunday to Monday.
European rules on drivers’ working time set a maximum number of working hours per week. According to these regulations, the weekly working time of the driver must not exceed 56 hours, and during the two consecutive working weeks the driver must have at least two days off, one of which must be a Sunday day. Regular weekly rest is also necessary.
In the case of drivers of heavy goods vehicles engaged in international road transport, the weekly working time must not exceed 60 hours and during the two consecutive working weeks the driver must have at least two days off, one of which must be Sunday.
Pause and split pause are two types of breaks that drivers must observe in accordance with European rules on drivers’ working time. These breaks are necessary to ensure road safety and avoid accidents related to driver fatigue.
A pause is a one-time break during the driver’s working time that lasts at least 45 minutes. A pause should be taken after at least 4.5 hours of continuous work. During the pause, the driver can rest, eat a meal, do stretching exercises or engage in other activities that will allow him to regenerate and avoid fatigue.
Supported by Norway through Norway Grants 2014-2021, in the frame of the Programme “Social Dialogue – Decent Work”.