More than 50% of specifiers asked FORS (Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme) members to achieve FORS silver accreditation to work on specific sites, a survey by the organisation has found.

The results indicate a shift by specifiers and contractors towards the benchmark for higher levels of safety, environmental protection and efficiency demonstrated by FORS silver accreditation.

The data demonstrates that contractors who take road risk seriously are looking to FORS to maintain a high standard, moving beyond health and safety to aim for a more comprehensive approach to keep sites, and the areas around them, safe.

Paul Wilkes, FORS business services manager, said: “This shows that sites are being serious about the wide-ranging benefits of FORS silver.

“Actions to minimise road risk have become business as usual for many operators and the FORS standard represents best practice.

"FORS already goes far beyond basic compliance, promoting best practice, and FORS silver is being used by sites that require contractors to have a certain level of training and safety awareness.”

Members of FORS are encouraged to progress through the accreditation levels from FORS bronze, to silver to gold.

FORS silver accreditation is awarded to operators that maintain Bronze accreditation and are able to demonstrate that they have met an additional set of criteria. There are currently more than 800 FORS silver members.

The survey also found that 40% of those surveyed had asked companies in their own supply chain to become FORS accredited, and 128 separate companies were identified that specify FORS.