Polish HGV inspectors have received a Good Practice Award from the European Labour Authority for its campaign to raise awareness of drivers' working time and road accidents.
The campaign, launched in 2021, aimed to educate professional drivers and employers in the road transport sector about the importance of rest periods and working time legislation. The main objective was to prevent road accidents caused by tired or stressed drivers.
A variety of methods was used to reach its target audience, including a dedicated website, publications, digital advertising, radio and local events. As a result, the campaign reached over 141,000 people and 56,000 printed publications were distributed.
The campaign was also successful in raising awareness among employers. Over 2,000 employers attended training sessions and over 1,500 drivers and employers visited information stands at a truck show. Most infringements of drivers’ working time rules are caused by difficulty in understanding the legislation and its changes, time pressure due to the need to deliver goods on time and staff shortages. For this reason, the campaign website (and publications) were used to provide information on drivers’ working time rules and employers’ obligations.
The website also included a questionnaire on stress levels.
The District Labour Inspectorate organised training sessions and lectures on the relevant legislation and its practical application for employers and self-employed professional drivers. They also provided information stands at industry events such as conferences, seminars, trade fairs, industry meetings and the largest truck rally in Poland.
In order to reach drivers at work, the Inspectorate developed cooperation with the local media so that inspectors had the opportunity to use radio spots and to answer on-air listeners’ questions about drivers’ working time and road safety.
