FM Conway secure leading road-safety certification
Contractor becomes one of first UK companies achieve certification to international safety standard
FM Conway, operators of one of London’s largest HGV fleets, have become one of the first UK companies to achieve certification to a major new standard for protecting road users. The infrastructure services company, whose fleet of HGVs carry out 360,000 journeys in London each year, has been awarded the ISO 39001 Road Traffic Safety management certification by BSI (British Standards Institution).
ISO 39001 is the only internationally recognized standard aimed at reducing death and serious injury on roads – and is designed to help organizations assess and manage any risks posed by their activities. FM Conway’s award followed a comprehensive 12-day audit by the BSI and has been recommended by Transport for London (TfL) as a way to significantly improve safety for all fleet operators.
Michael Conway, chief executive officer of FM Conway, explained: ‘We operate one of the largest HGV fleets on London’s roads and undertake highways work in close proximity to members of the public, so it is imperative that our activities are done in the safest possible way.
‘ISO 39001 ensures that we clarify risks, identify and evaluate shortcomings and improvement opportunities, and implement measurable improvements to the way we work. We are constantly striving to make our activities safer and this system gives us the oversight to make sure we’re getting it right.’
Suzanne Fribbins, risk specialist at BSI, said: ‘BS ISO 39001 recognizes the shared responsibility we all have for road traffic safety and can be used by any road-user group as it provides guidance to help you design your own road traffic safety management system. It aims to encourage innovative solutions from parties such as HGV fleets to deliver best-practice safety measures such as advanced driver training for their employees.’
The ISO 39001 certification is the latest in a number of significant milestones for FM Conway’s road safety. In September 2013 the company completed the retrofit of all 144 vehicles in its fleet over 7.5 tonnes with the latest safety measures including sideguards, sensors, audible ‘vehicle turning left’ warnings and blind-spot cameras. In November 2013, FM Conway achieved the Gold standard for TfL’s Fleet Operators Recognition Scheme (FORS), putting them in the top 0.5% of London’s fleet operators.
