One in three operators fail FORS audit at first try

A third of operators failed their Bronze first time audit for the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme in the first half of 2018, according to FORS.

A total of 632 companies undertook the Bronze audit for the first time resulting on 210 failures.

Re-approval audits for existing FORS members with Bronze, Silver or Gold accreditation, totalled 1218 producing 461 failures.

FORS also revealed the five top reasons that operators have failed the FORS Bronze audit:

1. Professional Development. Failure to provide the required mandatory training courses, or to produce a professional development plan for all transport-related staff.
2. Vehicle Manoeuvring. Failure to have policy and appropriate risk assessments in place. Failure to communicate these to relevant staff. Failure to get the transport related workforce to acknowledge receipt of these.
3. Document Review. Failure to conduct annual (or sooner if circumstances dictate) review of company policies and procedures and failure to ensure senior management has acknowledged the review and that reviews are cascaded to transport related workforce
4. Tyre & Fuel Management. Failure to have a fuel and tyre management policy in place to manage tyre wear, condition and disposal. Failure to be demonstrate monitoring and fuel consumption management.
5. Personal Safety in or Around Vehicles. Failure to have policy and appropriate risk assessments in place. Failure to communicate these to relevant staff. Failure to get the transport related workforce to acknowledge receipt of these.

Prior to an initial audit, FORS provides a range of guidance products to help operators with their preparations, including a FORS Audit Toolkit and a ‘Going for Bronze’ workshop.

Graham Holder, FORS head of quality assurance & compliance, said: “Operators who fail their audits need to undertake and pass a follow-up audit within 30 calendar days of notification of failure,” adds Holder. “This is key to remaining onboard. Our audit toolkit provides top-tips on how to avoid these common pitfalls and I would encourage members preparing for audit to check the FORS website for any relevant updates regarding significant audit failure points.”