PESV and SG-SST in Colombia: connecting processes through software
An organisation can have a documented road safety plan and an OSH management system while still handling training, incidents and improvement actions twice. Difficulties arise when each team uses different information about the same drivers, vehicles or journeys. Connecting Colombia’s PESV and SG-SST requires a common way of working with controls specific to each process.
This connection is particularly valuable when transport, operations, human resources and prevention teams influence the same activity. Software should help identify those relationships and preserve each department’s responsibility, so that an update does not remain isolated in a document that others never consult.
Confirm scope and methodology before configuration
Decree 1252 of 2021 describes the PESV obligation for organisations with more than ten motorised or non-motorised vehicles, or those hiring or managing drivers, and its connection with SG-SST. Applicability requires review of the specific operation and official criteria concerning fleets and drivers.
The methodology adopted in 2022 is compiled in Resolution 20223040045295, chapter 7.2 and annex 63. First establish the applicable level and requirements. The Explore entry on workplace road safety provides conceptual context but does not replace that Colombian applicability assessment.
Define which information is shared
Build an inventory of people, vehicles, sites, activities and work-related journeys. Each data item needs an owner responsible for keeping it current. Human resources may manage employment information; operations may manage service assignments; and the relevant technical function may own vehicle checks and their supporting records.
Sharing an identifier does not mean sharing an entire personal file. A fleet manager may need to know whether a condition affects a service assignment without accessing clinical information. Establish the information each role needs and its authorised source before designing screens or deciding which records are visible across departments.
Connect processes while preserving their differences
Planning, training, event investigation and action follow-up offer practical connection points. One activity may contribute to both systems and retain a single evidence record, provided its purpose within each is identified. Controls specific to driving, maintenance and journey management still require their own detail and competent assessment.
- Training: link required competence to the activity and check its application.
- Inspections: associate observations with the vehicle or road condition examined.
- Events: identify additional reporting obligations where applicable.
- Actions: assign an owner, deadline and effectiveness check.
- Changes: review new routes, services and contracting arrangements.
Change management in OSH helps consider these modifications before they become an unforeseen exposure, connecting the people who approve a change with those who must put the controls into practice.
Example: a new distribution route
Imagine a company introducing a route with different operating times and more complex access conditions. The commercial team confirms the service, operations prepares the journey and OSH reviews working conditions. The assessment needs to reach those assigning vehicles, arranging breaks and communicating instructions to drivers.
The digital case links the change assessment, measures, information provided and later operational review. If difficulties arise, the team retrieves the original decision and adjusts the plan. This example is illustrative; it does not prescribe a universal route design or rest schedule, which must reflect the actual operation and applicable requirements.
Choose indicators with consistent denominators
Combining information does not require reducing every indicator to a single figure. Events per kilometre travelled describe a different exposure from rates calculated per worker or working hour. Retain the formula, period, source and scope so management understands what is being compared and where the limits lie.
A change may reflect altered activity or better recording. Connect the analysis with the annual SG-SST plan and the accident reporting and investigation workflow, keeping the specific obligations of each process visible rather than assuming that a shared record fulfils every requirement.
Evaluate the connection through a concrete test
Ask the supplier to demonstrate a new route, an inspection finding and a shared action. Check whether updates reach the appropriate owners and whether history is retained. Examine exports, permissions and the availability of evidence for subsequent review as part of the same exercise.
When considering Sabentis for OSH management, compare these requirements with demonstrated capabilities. Focus on the processes that need to connect; confirm any dedicated PESV module explicitly before including it in the procurement decision.
Checks for connecting PESV and SG-SST
Use a shared activity as a test, such as a measure associated with a work-related journey. The connection works when each owner can retrieve the same facts while still recognising the checks that belong to their respective process.
- Check that driver additions and departures reach the people maintaining the relevant preventive and operational information.
- Review a temporarily substituted vehicle and confirm how it is identified in inspections, assignments and subsequent records.
- Test a route change with outstanding measures and confirm that the earlier decisions remain available for consultation.
- Compare the mileage used in an indicator with its source and explain any excluded periods or journeys.
- Examine shared evidence to check that it identifies the requirements addressed without artificially duplicating the activity performed.
Frequently asked questions
Can a company without its own vehicles need a PESV?
Vehicle ownership is not the only criterion. The Colombian framework also covers organisations that hire or manage drivers. Examine the actual operation and the applicable conditions before concluding that the absence of an owned fleet means that there is no obligation.
Can one training activity provide evidence for PESV and SG-SST?
It can be linked to both when its content and scope address the needs identified in each process. Record the activity, its participants and what was checked. Sharing evidence does not automatically make every requirement of the two management systems equivalent.
Should road incidents and occupational accidents be combined into one indicator?
Before combining them, define the population, events and exposure represented by each figure. Retain the classifications needed for their respective analyses. A joint dashboard may support decisions, but losing data provenance prevents meaningful interpretation of differences and reproduction of each process’s indicators.
What if transport and OSH assign different statuses to the same measure?
Check whether they are assessing different milestones, such as purchase, installation or effectiveness. An agreed status definition helps resolve the discrepancy. Where each department needs a specific check, keep it visible and prevent partial completion from appearing as full closure of the measure.
Legislation and sources consulted
- Decree 1079 of 2015, PESV provisions: Colombia: articles 2.3.2.3.1 and 2.3.2.3.2, amended by Decree 1252 of 2021, cover PESV scope and coordination.
- Resolution 20223040045295 of 2022, chapter 7.2: Colombia: chapter 7.2 and annex 63 provide the methodology for designing, implementing and verifying PESV.
Sources consulted on 6 October 2026. The practical checklist proposes management checks; its application should reflect each organisation’s scope.
