Policy 8.18 : Agency Use of Private Motor Vehicles

Policy 8.18 : Agency Use of Private Motor Vehicles

1. Background

Community Enterprise Inc. is a non-profit organisation established for the purpose of supporting people with disabilities and their families living in the Shire of Hidden Valley.

The services offered by Community Enterprise include group home accommodation, in-home respite, out-of-home respite, home help and community access.

Community Enterprise is a non-profit, community organisation which is governed by a management committee elected annually by the members. Community Enterprise receives all of its operating funds from the Western Australian Government in the form of an annual grant.

2. Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this policy is to set out specific procedures in relation to the use of private motor vehicles for work related purposes. The agency may require an employee or volunteer to use his or her own vehicle within the ordinary course of employment.

This policy applies to all of the agency's programs and activities.

3. Policy Statement

The agency is committed to ensuring that, wherever a private vehicle is used for work related purposes, the occupants (employee, volunteer and/or agency's consumers) are adequately protected from injury and properly insured.

4. Procedures

The following procedures are to be implemented to ensure that the agency meets its policy objective of protecting and insuring occupants in private vehicles during work related travel.

The driver of the private vehicle must hold a current Western Australian motor vehicle drivers' licence of the correct class for the vehicle being driven and the number of passengers being transported.
Private motor vehicles that are to be used for work related travel must be comprehensively insured.
Private motor vehicles that are to be used for work related travel must be maintained in roadworthy condition.
Employees and volunteers who are required to use their own vehicles for work related purposes will be paid a motor vehicle allowance.
The motor vehicle allowance will be based on the allowances paid to Western Australian Government public servants.
Clients of the agency may only be transported in private vehicles if the vehicle restraints fitted to the vehicle have been assessed as providing adequate protection to the client.
The agency will take out and maintain contingent motor vehicle insurance to cover the employees' and volunteers' private vehicles and its occupants in the event of an accident during work related travel.
The driver of the private vehicle is responsible for paying all traffic and parking fines incurred in the course of work related travel.
Drivers must not drive a private vehicle on work related business if their blood alcohol level is above the legal 0.05 limit (or 0.01 for probationary drivers), they are under the influence of illegal drugs or they are taking medication that cautions against driving.

5. Review of the Policy

This policy will be reviewed on a two yearly basis. However, if at any time the legislative, policy or funding environment is so altered that the policy is no longer appropriate in its current form, the policy will be reviewed immediately and amended accordingly.