P C Use of NIWA Vehicles Policy.pdf

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P&C Use of NIWA Vehicles Policy

Principle / Overview
This policy covers use of NIWA’s vehicles primarily from a health and safety
perspective. It also includes details of who can drive a NIWA vehicle, and what
drivers must / must not do.
The nature of NIWA's business includes field work and a high level of travel via
vehicle. NIWA employees and the public must be kept safe and employees must,
in turn, be responsible for work property.
Employees must not drink alcohol or take other drugs before driving a NIWA
vehicle or while in charge of a NIWA vehicle. The consequences include being
held personally liable for any loss, damage or liability that results from any sort
of accident.
NIWA may take disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal, for breaches of
this policy.
All vehicles assigned to regions or sites may be used by any NIWA employee as
required.
NIWA vehicles (including towed vehicles) may not be used for personal use or
annual leave.

Table of contents

Principle / Overview
Table of contents
Application of policy
Related policies, documents & forms
Reason for policy
Policy details / implementation guidelines
Who can drive NIWA vehicles?
Driver licence requirements
Licence details held by P&C
Obligation to advise if your licence is revoked
Your responsibilities when driving a NIWA vehicle
What you must do
What you must not do
Accidents, thefts and insurance matters
Emergency needs first in an accident
Required reporting: any accident, incident or theft
Personal property thefts / damage
Support for safe driving
Avoid fatigue when driving
P&C Use of NIWA Vehicles First issued 20 May 2013, last reviewed May 2023
Policy_FINAL

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Required driving courses
Defensive driving course
Exceptions and qualifiers

Application of policy
This policy applies to all staff and any other drivers who receive prior approval
from a General Manager or Regional / Support Manager to drive a NIWA vehicle.

Related policies, documents & forms
Accident/Incident/Near Miss Form
Motor Vehicle Procurement & Fleet Management Policy
Safe / Legal Towing– Responsibilities & Guidelines
P&C Alcohol & Drugs Policy
P&C Discipline & Dismissal Policy
For the complete NIWA health and safety strategy, systems, policies, procedures
and forms – see NIWASafe on One.NIWA. There is more  information related to
vehicle use.

Reason for policy
NIWA’s aim is to:
•
achieve the highest feasible level of health and safety for employees
•
aim for zero harm in the workplace
•
comply with all health and safety-related legislation.
Providing appropriate vehicles for employees to use for company business is a
way of cost effectively meeting travel needs.
NIWA vehicles are selected to be fit for purpose. They must be managed and
used safely, and in a way that is consistent with NIWA’s Mission and Statement
of Core Purpose. This in turn helps to protect NIWA’s reputation and brand.

Policy details / implementation guidelines

Who can drive NIWA vehicles?
All vehicles assigned to regions or sites may be used by any NIWA employee as
required.
NIWA vehicles may be driven only by:
•
NIWA employees who have provided a copy of their driver licence to People
& Capability
  P&C Use of NIWA Vehicles  First issued 20 May 2013, last reviewed May 2023
Policy_FINAL

•
other drivers who have prior approval from a General Manager or Regional
/ Support Manager.

Driver licence requirements
To drive a NIWA vehicle, you must hold:
•
a current and valid NZ driver licence or
•
a current and valid overseas driver licence or an international driving
permit.
For more information on driving in NZ for new residents and visitors, see:
http://www.nzta.govt.nz/licence/residents-visitors/driving-nz.html
Your licence must be valid for the class of vehicle you intend to drive.
Drivers with a learner licence may not drive NIWA vehicles.
Drivers with a provisional or restricted licence may drive a NIWA vehicle as long
as they observe the rules relating to the particular licence.

Licence details held by People & Capability
People & Capability requires a copy of your driver licence. Details are entered
into Chris21 and are visible in Kiosk. Employees will receive an email notification
from Chris21 a month prior to the expiry of their licence and must forward a
copy of their renewed licence to People & Capability.

Obligation to advise if your licence is revoked
If your licence is revoked by law, you must notify your direct manager and
People & Capability at the earliest possible opportunity.
NIWA uses NZTA Driver Check for notifications of any change to an employee’s
driver licence status.

Your responsibilities when driving a NIWA vehicle
What you must do

Use only for NIWA business
NIWA vehicles may not be used for personal use or annual leave.

Check legality for on-road use
Always check that the vehicle’s registration, Road User Charges and Warrant Of
Fitness (WOF) labels are current for the time you will be using the vehicle.

Always carry your driver licence
As required by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), you must have your
driver licence with you whenever you drive a NIWA vehicle.

Always complete log book
Each time you use a NIWA vehicle, you must complete details of your journey in
the vehicle’s logbook.
P&C Use of NIWA Vehicles First issued 20 May 2013, last reviewed May 2023
Policy_FINAL

The Regional Manager is responsible for checking that log books are being
completed.

Keep vehicle safe and in clean, tidy condition
When work requires you to take a vehicle home, secure garaging after hours
should be provided if possible. Vehicles must always be properly and legally
parked.
It is not acceptable to operate vehicles that are dirty or have noticeable damage.
The Motor Vehicle Procurement and Fleet Management Policy sets out
responsibilities for cleaning and maintenance of:
•
vehicles used mainly by or assigned to one employee
•
pool vehicles
•
sign-written vehicles.

Tow legally and safely
If you intend to tow with a NIWA vehicle, you must always:
•
check first that the vehicle has the correct towing capacity
•
follow Safe/Legal Towing – Responsibilities & Guidelines.

Follow rules of use for fuel cards
All vehicles are provided with a company fuel card. You may use this only for:
•
vehicle fuel purchases
•
oil top-ups
•
car washes (non-sign written vehicles only).
You must record the latest odometer reading every time you use the fuel card.
Fuel cards are vehicle or trailer specific (registration number) and must not be
used to fill up another vehicle.
You must report a missing or lost fuel card to Procurement within 48 hours of
finding that it is missing.

Pay any fines promptly
You are responsible for promptly paying any fines for parking infringements or
driving offences that are incurred as a result of you being the driver of the
vehicle at the time.
Failure to pay these fines promptly may result in NIWA taking steps to
immediately recover the costs from you.

Drive safely and responsibly
When driving, you are a public representative of NIWA. Therefore you must not
drive in an irresponsible way or in a manner that might bring NIWA into
disrepute.
Employees who demonstrate a pattern of careless or unsafe driving may be
subject to disciplinary action.
P&C Use of NIWA Vehicles First issued 20 May 2013, last reviewed May 2023
Policy_FINAL

See P&C Discipline & Dismissal Policy.

What you must not do

Never use drugs or alcohol
You must not drink alcohol or take other drugs before driving a NIWA vehicle or
while you are in charge of a NIWA vehicle. If you do (or breach any other aspect
of this Use of NIWA Vehicles Policy) and any sort of accident occurs, you will be
held personally and totally responsible for any related:
•
loss
•
damage
•
liability
•
compensation for damage to the vehicle or injury.
If you are convicted of driving a NIWA vehicle under the influence of alcohol or
other drugs, you may be subject to summary dismissal.
If you are taking prescribed medication, you should seek prior advice from your
medical practitioner before driving a NIWA vehicle.
See also P&C Alcohol & Drugs Policy.

No smoking
You may not smoke in any NIWA vehicle.
NIWA vehicles are a place of work. Therefore in accordance with the Smoke-free
Environments Act 1990, NIWA vehicles must be smoke-free.

No pets
Pets may not be transported in NIWA vehicles.
Other animals may be transported only for work purposes.

No handheld mobile phone use while driving
You must not use a hand held mobile phone while driving a NIWA vehicle under
any circumstances. You must pull over to the side of the road at a convenient
point before making or taking calls.
You may use a hands-free system but are encouraged not to do so while driving.
Sending a text message while driving a NIWA vehicle is strictly forbidden.
Accidents, thefts and insurance matters
Every NIWA vehicle holds a CustomFleet pack. This pack explains what you must
do if you have:
•
an accident
•
a breakdown
•
broken windscreen
P&C Use of NIWA Vehicles First issued 20 May 2013, last reviewed May 2023
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•
flat tyre, etc.

Emergency needs first in an accident
If a NIWA vehicle is involved in an accident with a person, vehicle and/or  property,
you must comply with the law and current Road Code regulations.
This means first attending to emergency needs such as first aid, ambulance
and/or fire brigade if able.

Required reporting: any accident, incident or theft
All accidents, regardless of seriousness, must be reported to the appropriate
General Manager or Regional / Support Manager as soon as possible and within  24
hours of the occurrence or the next working day.
This must be done even if the vehicle is stationary and unattended.  You
must also report theft or any other vehicle incident.
The General Manager or Regional / Support Manager will advise if the Police  need
to be contacted, if not already involved.
You must also complete an Accident/Incident/Near Miss Form (NIWA Incident
Management System - NIMS) and give it to your  local Site Safety Administrator.
Follow the instructions in the CustomFleet pack in respect of vehicle repairs and
accident insurance claims.

Personal property thefts / damage
NIWA’s vehicle insurance does not cover personal property that may be  damaged
or stolen from NIWA vehicle.

Support for safe driving
Avoid fatigue when driving
If an employee has been working extended hours in the field or similar, then care
needs to be taken to ensure that they are not too tired to drive and that they will
arrive home safely.
When an employee is tired and must drive, as a responsible employer NIWA advises
them to seek overnight accommodation at NIWA’s expense.
For more information about fatigue, see:
http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/factsheets/24/index.html
Required driving courses

For on-road use
All NIWA employees who do routine field work or travel regularly using company
vehicles must attend an appropriate driver training course within one year of joining
NIWA.
The Regional Manager is responsible for ensuring that all appropriate personnel are
trained in accordance with policy.
Once a driver training course has been booked the driver must attend the course.
Courses fees are not refundable if someone cancels their attendance.
  P&C Use of NIWA Vehicles  First issued 20 May 2013, last reviewed May 2023
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For off-road use
All NIWA employees that drive company vehicles in off-road situations must attend
an appropriate off-road/4WD driver training course within one year of joining NIWA.
The Regional Manager is responsible for ensuring that all appropriate personnel are
trained in accordance with policy.

For towing
All NIWA employees that use company vehicles for towing boats or general purpose
trailers as part of performing their work must attend an appropriate driver training
course within one year of joining NIWA.
The Regional Manager is responsible for ensuring that all appropriate personnel are
trained in accordance with policy.

Defensive driving course
When there are concerns about an employee’s driving, NIWA will encourage the
employee to attend a defensive driving course at NIWA’s expense. Concerns might
arise from complaints, near misses or a pattern of small accidents. A defensive
driving course will help to ensure the employee has the skills to operate a vehicle.

Exceptions and qualifiers
None
  P&C Use of NIWA Vehicles  First issued 20 May 2013, last reviewed May 2023
Policy_FINAL