Workplace road safety

A large proportion of travel on Northern Territory (NT) roads is made up of vehicles driven for work purposes.

The human and economic cost of vehicle crashes are significant, with over half of all work-related deaths in Australia involving a vehicle, and 50% of these incidents occurring on public roads. In the NT, around 66.6%* of work-related deaths are a result of vehicle crashes.

Work Health and Safety (WHS) law places a general duty of care on businesses and individuals to ensure that the workplace is without risks to the health and safety of any person. A workplace includes the vehicle when used for work-related purposes, including privately owned vehicles, except when commuting to and from work.

Road safety is a shared responsibility. Both employers and employees have a duty of care to each other and to others who might be affected by the work they undertake.

In the case of work-related driving, passengers and other road users can be affected by the driver’s behaviour and practices, so it’s important all employees take action to ensure their employees know about and model safe driving practises.

*the term vehicle includes cars, trucks, aircraft, boats, loaders, tractors and quad bikes.

Safe driving guidelinesSafe driving guidelines for workplaces

The Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics (DIPL) has developed a guideline to:

  • help organisations identify and manage road safety risks
  • promote a positive road safety culture in the workplace.

The Safe Driving Guidelines for Workplaces (the Guidelines) provide a framework that encourages organisations to develop their own safe driving policies and ensure they are closely linked with other relevant policies and legislations (eg WHS).

Read the Safe Driving Guidelines for Workplaces PDF (3.2 MB).

Safe driving around roadworks

The Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics has developed a series of educational resources to help keep road users and workers safe around roadworks. They also aim to improve the respect between road users and road workers and minimise the risk of crashes.

The two animated learning modules, road safety around roadworks eBook PDF (23.3 MB) and supporting materials focus on driving around roadworks and working safely on roadworks. They highlight a selection of the most common risks at roadwork that are faced by road users and workers.

These modules include:

  • seven animations, videos and posters focused on driving safely around roadworks, and
  • eight animations, videos and posters focused on how to be safe whilst working on the road.

To download the resources visit the Resources page.

Workplace sessions/workshops

DIPL offers free informative and engaging road safety presentations and workshops. These sessions:

  • aim to develop and positively influence road user behaviours and attitudes
  • are tailored to meet organisation’s needs.

Book a session

To book a road safety education session or workshop, you may do one of the following:

For more information, email roadsafety@nt.gov.au or call 08 8924 7019.

Further information

Legislation and associated resources