Workplace Driving Assessments
Independent OT driving assessments for workers who drive as part of their job. Objective answers for employers, case managers and insurers across Adelaide and South Australia.
Keep Your People
Driving Safely
When driving is part of the job, a health change is more than a personal matter. A worker returning from injury, a new diagnosis, a change in medication or an incident on the road can all raise the same question: is this person safe to drive for work right now?
Getting that call wrong carries real risk. Under work health and safety laws, a vehicle used for work is a workplace, and employers have a duty to manage the risks that come with it. Sending someone back behind the wheel too early puts them and other road users in danger. Holding them back without evidence costs productivity, delays return to work and can damage trust.
At Fuzzy’s Corporate Health, our Driver Trained Occupational Therapist gives you an independent, objective answer. We assess how a worker’s health is affecting their driving, report clearly on what they can safely do, and recommend a practical way forward, from full driving duties to graduated driving, lessons, vehicle changes or suitable non-driving duties.
Understanding
OT Assessments
An OT driving assessment is different from a licence test. A licence test checks road rules and driving to a set standard. An OT driving assessment looks at how a medical condition, injury or medication affects the physical, visual and thinking skills a worker needs to drive safely, and how that fits the driving their role actually demands.
Assessments are carried out by a Driver Trained Occupational Therapist, an OT with postgraduate qualifications in driver assessment and rehabilitation, together with a qualified driving instructor in a dual-control car. We follow the national Austroads Assessing Fitness to Drive standards, which set separate medical standards for private and commercial vehicle drivers.
In South Australia, licence decisions are made by the Registrar of Motor Vehicles at the Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT). Decisions about work duties sit with the employer, guided by the treating doctor. With the worker’s consent, our report gives everyone the same clear, objective information to make those decisions.
Assessments for
Every Role
From couriers and sales reps to tradies, field staff and fleet drivers, we tailor every assessment to the worker, their vehicle and the driving their job involves.
Fitness to Drive for Work
A worker has a medical condition, injury or medication that may affect their driving, and you need to know where they stand. We assess their physical, visual and cognitive skills, take them on an on-road drive, and report clearly on whether they can safely drive for work and under what conditions. Common for diabetes, epilepsy, sleep disorders, heart conditions and vision changes.
Return to Driving After Injury
For injured workers whose role involves driving, getting back behind the wheel is often the last step in a return to work plan. Once the treating doctor supports an assessment, we check readiness and recommend when and how driving duties can safely resume, including graduated hours, routes or vehicle types.
Experienced Drivers With Health Changes
Long-serving drivers bring skills you can’t easily replace. When a health change raises concerns, an objective assessment replaces assumptions with evidence, and gives you practical options like adjusted routes, shorter shifts or daylight-only driving that keep experienced people safely on the road.
Pre-Placement Driving Assessments
Placing someone in a role where driving is an inherent requirement? Where a known health condition or injury raises a question, we assess their capacity to meet the driving demands of the role before they start, so you can make a fair, informed decision and put the right supports in place.
Work Vehicle Modifications
Sometimes the vehicle is the problem, not the driver. From seating and steering aids to hand controls, left foot accelerators and transfer aids, we assess what a worker needs to drive a work vehicle safely, trial options where possible, and write the reports insurers and employers need to approve the changes.
Driver Rehabilitation & Lessons
Not quite ready yet? We recommend a structured program of lessons with an experienced instructor, adjust it as skills improve, and reassess when the worker is ready. Everyone gets a clear timeline back to driving duties instead of an open-ended wait.
When Driving Isn't Safe
Sometimes the safest outcome is to stop or reduce driving, for now or for good. We explain the findings to the worker with care, give the employer clear restrictions to work with, and help identify suitable non-driving duties and other ways to get to work.
How It Works
A clear process from referral to report, so every party knows what's next.
Most assessments take two to three hours in total, across an off-road session and an on-road drive, on the same day or split across two. We explain every step to the worker before we start, give feedback as we go, and keep the referrer updated throughout.
With the worker’s consent, we share findings with their treating doctor, case manager, claims agent and employer, so return to work and duty decisions can move forward without delay.
1Referral & Booking
Employers, case managers, claims agents, insurers, GPs and specialists can all refer, and workers can refer themselves.
What makes a good referral? Good information upfront leads to safer, faster decisions. Where you can, please include:
- Medical clearance confirmed by the worker's GP
- Vision assessment results from an optometrist. This is especially important for commercial drivers, who must meet stricter vision standards
- The worker's current licence status, including licence classes, conditions or any suspension
- Discharge summaries, if the worker is being referred from hospital
- The worker's driving goals and the driving their role involves, such as vehicle type, hours, routes and loads
- Any clear functional concerns going into the assessment, such as near misses, fatigue, anxiety or changes in thinking
Once we receive a referral, we confirm the funding stream and provide a written quote that includes the cost of the driving instructor. We then contact the worker to organise their pre on-road assessment.
2Off-Road Assessment
We start with the worker's health, medications, driving history and the driving their job involves: vehicle type, hours on the road, routes and loads. Then we assess the skills driving relies on, including vision, strength and movement, reaction time, attention and decision-making.
- Medical and driving history review
- Job driving demands, vehicle type and hours
- Vision screening
- Strength, range of movement, sensation and coordination
- Attention, memory, planning and reaction time
- Road rules knowledge
3On-Road Assessment
The worker then drives with our Driver Trained OT and a qualified driving instructor in a dual-control car, with a passenger-side brake for safety. We start on quiet streets and build up to the roads, traffic and conditions their work involves.
- Dual-control car with an experienced driving instructor
- Quiet streets first, then busier traffic
- Routes that reflect the worker's job
- Vehicle modifications trialled where needed
- Feedback straight after the drive
4Report & Recommendations
We talk the worker through the results, then prepare a detailed written report. With consent, it goes to the treating doctor, the referrer and, where required, the Department for Infrastructure and Transport.
- Results explained in plain English
- Clear findings on fitness to drive for work
- Recommended driving duties, restrictions and conditions
- Input for return to work plans and suitable duties
- Reports that meet insurer and claims agent requirements
5Next Steps & Ongoing Support
Every assessment ends with a plan the worker, employer and case manager can act on. That might mean full driving duties, graduated driving, lessons and a reassessment, vehicle changes or non-driving duties.
- Cleared for full driving duties
- Graduated return to driving duties
- Driving lessons followed by reassessment
- Work vehicle modification recommendations
- Licence conditions, such as local area or daylight only
- Reviews for progressive or changing conditions
Funding &
What to Bring
We confirm all costs in writing before booking, including the driving instructor and their dual-control car. No surprises for the worker, employer or insurer.
Workplace driving assessments can be funded in several ways:
- Workers compensation: for accepted ReturnToWorkSA claims, through the claims agent or self-insured employer, where the assessment relates to the work injury and is approved
- Employers: for fitness to drive concerns, pre-placement assessments and driver safety programs
- CTP insurers and the Lifetime Support Authority: where a worker was injured in a motor vehicle accident in SA
- Income protection and other insurers: check with the case manager
- Private: self-funded assessments with a clear written quote
What to Bring on the Day:
- The worker’s current driver’s licence, showing all classes held
- Any letter from their doctor or the Department for Infrastructure and Transport
- Recent medical reports and a list of medications
- A position description or details of the driving the role involves
- Glasses or hearing aids, if they use them
- Comfortable clothes and shoes they can drive in
Common
Questions
Answers to the questions we hear most often. Can’t see yours? Give us a call on 08 7081 9555 and we’ll talk it through.
Who can refer a worker for a driving assessment?
Employers, case managers, claims agents, insurers, GPs and specialists can all refer, and workers can refer themselves. If the worker has a medical condition that affects driving, their doctor may need to clear them before the on-road part of the assessment. We'll help work out what's needed.
How long does a driving assessment take?
Most assessments take two to three hours in total: around an hour for the off-road assessment, up to an hour for the on-road drive, plus time to talk through the results. They can be done on the same day or split across two appointments.
How much does a workplace driving assessment cost?
The cost depends on the type of assessment, whether vehicle modifications need to be trialled, and the driving instructor's fees. We provide a written quote, including the instructor and their car, before booking. Many assessments are funded through workers compensation, a CTP insurer or the employer.
Is an OT driving assessment the same as a driving test?
No. A licence test checks knowledge of the road rules and driving against a set standard. An OT driving assessment looks at how a worker's health condition, injury or medication affects their driving, and what can be done to help them drive safely for work.
Who decides whether a worker can drive for work?
In South Australia, licence decisions are made by the Registrar of Motor Vehicles at the Department for Infrastructure and Transport. Decisions about work duties sit with the employer, guided by the treating doctor and the return to work plan. Our report gives independent, objective recommendations to support both.
Can the assessment be done in a work vehicle?
The on-road assessment is usually done in the driving instructor's dual-control car, so there's a passenger-side brake for safety. If the worker drives a modified or specialised work vehicle, tell us when booking and we'll discuss the best approach.
What happens if the worker doesn't pass?
An OT driving assessment isn't a simple pass or fail. If the worker isn't ready to drive safely yet, we recommend next steps, like lessons, vehicle changes or more recovery time, and reassess when they're ready. If driving isn't safe, we give the employer clear restrictions and help identify suitable non-driving duties.
Will workers compensation cover a driving assessment?
For an accepted ReturnToWorkSA claim, a driving assessment may be covered when it relates to the work injury and supports the return to work plan. Approval comes from the claims agent or self-insured employer, so check with the case manager before booking. We can help with the request.
Does a worker need their doctor's clearance first?
Often, yes. National guidelines set non-driving periods after events like a seizure, stroke or heart attack, and the treating doctor needs to support a return to driving before the on-road assessment. If you're unsure, call us and we'll talk it through.
Does a worker have to tell DIT about a medical condition?
Yes. In South Australia, both the driver and their doctor must report any medical condition that could affect safe driving to the Registrar of Motor Vehicles, through Service SA. Many employers also ask workers to report health changes that affect driving under their driver safety policy.
Driving Assessment Enquiry
Fill in the form below or call us on 08 7081 9555. Employers, case managers, insurers and workers are all welcome to get in touch. We’ll answer your questions and help get your people back on the road safely.