Driving safety for professional electricians

Safety at the wheel concerns everyone. Electricians are particularly concerned, since their job involves answering many telephone calls, travelling to various worksites and, above all, carrying loads of varying weights. To be able to drive safely, and above all to comply with road safety legislation, electricians need to adopt the right reflexes. Nexans reviews the essential information you need to know before getting behind the wheel.

The mobile phone : the first point of vigilance for electricians at the wheel

You may come into contact with customers, or exchange information with colleagues. So it's important to adopt the right habits quickly, to avoid putting yourself in danger and running into trouble with the authorities. First of all, it's worth remembering that the law provides for a fixed fine of €135, as well as the deduction of three points for any call made at the wheel (without a hands-free kit). As far as possible, you should therefore avoid talking on the phone at the wheel. The hands-free kit is indeed authorised, but concentration is not the same when talking on the phone.

In order to drive with peace of mind while using your phone, here are a few recommendations :

• inform your colleagues when you have to go out on the road : this activates the driving mode so that you can take to the road peacefully and with full concentration;
• provide a hands-free kit for emergencies : by this way, calls can be taken legally at the wheel, but only in an emergency;
• Take breaks every two hours : use these moments to make phone calls and call customers back;
• optimise your journeys using applications such as Google Maps or Waze.
• have a voicemail system that informs people who want to reach us that we are driving and that we will call back as soon as possible

What can you do to keep your company car safe ?

The second most important point is obviously the company vehicle. The commercial vehicle driven by the professional must meet a number of criteria to ensure maximum safety at the wheel. For example, there should be a solid partition between the passenger compartment and the driver's seat, to prevent objects being thrown at the driver or the windscreen. As for the passenger compartment, it needs to be properly equipped for the storage of various tools.

In addition, the vehicle floor should preferably be very solid: solid and flat. In this way, the professional prevents heavy objects from falling through the floor. As a general rule, vans in good condition have a relatively solid floor. If this is not the case, the floor can be fitted with the right materials.

Mirrors should be suitable and in good condition, and there should be lashing points in the vehicle so that objects can be secured with straps. This prevents objects from shifting during the journey, making them potentially dangerous projectiles. In any case, lighter objects should always be placed on top and heavier objects underneath, trying to distribute the loads evenly across the floor of the van.

A roof rack can also be provided if necessary, to carry more tools/objects.

All the driving assistance systems that are now widely available are also allies in driving safety:

• ABS ;
• airbags ;
• anti-lock braking systems ;
• brake assist systems ;
• etc.

Clearly, electricians need to choose a vehicle that is suited to the parts and materials they need to transport. So pay attention to the size of the van.

Finally, certain accessories are compulsory in the company vehicle:

• top and bottom ventilation systems
• fluorescent waistcoats
• alcohol tests;
• amicable contracts ;
• warning triangle ;
• spare wheel.

The electrician's movements and posture in relation to his vehicle

The gestures and posture to adopt depend on the category of professional. Self-employed electricians are responsible for their own safety, while company directors have certain obligations towards their employees.

Recommendations for self-employed contractors
Safety at the wheel also applies to the work electricians do for their customers. Some jobs involve using more or less equipment, with heavier or lighter loads.

Here are some recommendations

• Use handling aids (trolleys, tool boxes on wheels, etc.);
• provide a solution for transporting cables, such as the Mobiway (with handles) or the N'Roll (with wheels) marketed by Nexans;
• Obtain materials as close as possible to the work area;
• give preference to handling by several people when no mechanical help is available;
• Wear appropriate handling gloves.

What are the employer's obligations?
In an electrical contracting business, employers must ensure that their employees follow all safety instructions. Employers must therefore offer their employees training in risks (PRAP and Gestures and Postures training). The company manager is obliged to inform his employees about the various risks, but above all he must assess the road risks via the Single Document (DUERP).

In practical terms, the employer must :

• train the company's drivers
• carry out regular checks on vehicles
• set up a maintenance logbook to record the results of checks.

Overall, electricians' commercial vehicles must be considered as genuine work equipment, and therefore managed as such.

If you fail to follow all the safety instructions for driving a company van, you are more exposed to personal injury or, more seriously, death in the event of a road accident.