SURVIVE, a partnership between the Highways Agency, the Association of Chief Police Officers, the breakdown and recovery industry and other road service providers in the UK, has further developed the standard PAS 43 Safe working of vehicle breakdown, recovery and removal operations – Management system specification from BSI.

    Although a UK standard, PAS 43 has been adopted by over thirty progressive recovery operators in Ireland, looking to achieve the very highest standards of operational safety and service quality.

    New features of PAS 43:2010 include, defining minimum levels of competence for those auditing on behalf of Certification or Inspection Bodies and also instructs operators to allow certification and inspection bodies to carry out unannounced visits to their premises, in order to review recovery operations. It also includes a requirement for inspection and certification bodies, to publish and maintain details of companies currently holding a valid PAS 43 certificate.

    Other changes to the certification include a section on reducing vehicle operation impact on the environment and methods of cutting fuel consumption and emissions. There are also additional guidelines around the use of Vehicle Lifting Equipment, particularly the operation of winches when using remote control units, which could be subject to radio frequency interference.

    Allan Mowatt, Chairman of the SURVIVE said “It is a measure of the success of PAS 43 that the 2010 edition recognises that the PAS is being adopted outside the UK and therefore makes provision for equivalent international standards to those British Standards referenced.”