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Believe it or not,
motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of employee deaths and
injuries in the workplace— and have been for the past several years.
It was not too long ago that motor vehicle fatalities were not even
in the top five causes of fatalities in the workplace.
Traditional workplace activities such as slips and falls, fires and
explosions, and contact with objects and equipment were always among
the leaders in this area. Workplace violence began to appear on the
list in the past decade as a new factor. However, all of these
tragic events have been supplanted by transportation related
incidents, which accounted for 43 percent of all fatal occupational
injuries in 2005, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Motor vehicle accidents, both on and off the job, have far-reaching
financial and psychological effects on employers, employees,
co-workers and affected family members. Developing and maintaining
a comprehensive fleet safety program should be a vital part of your
company’s safety culture. Your program must work to keep employees,
and those with whom they share the road with, safe.
The program must include efforts to change driver attitudes, improve
behavior, and increase skills to build a safe culture within your
organization. By instructing your employees in safe driving
practices you will help your company avoid unnecessary tragedy. The
needs for a fleet safety program are very simple:
• To save lives and to reduce the risk of life altering injuries
within your workplace;
• To protect your organization’s human and financial resources; and
• To guard against potential company and personal liabilities
associated with crashes involving employees driving company owned or
leased vehicles on company business.
Driver Selection and Agreements
A thorough examination of driving records of all potential new hires
and employees who drive company vehicles is an important component
of your fleet safety program. Establishing this process is often
contracted out to a third-party provider. A company must screen out
drivers who have poor driving
records since they are most likely to cause problems and have
accidents in the future.
A Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) should be obtained and reviewed prior
to hire, as well as periodically thereafter, to ensure that your
drivers maintain an acceptable driving record. Your program must
clearly
define the number of violations an employee can have, and the
related point values for each, before losing the privilege of
driving a company vehicle. Loss of this privilege can also result in
termination for
an inability to perform an employee’s job function—this is
particularly true in sales organizations.
Employers should also establish a contract with all employees who
drive company owned or leased vehicles. By signing an agreement,
employees acknowledge their awareness and understanding
of your company’s fleet safety program, including its requirements
and expectations regarding driver performance, following vehicle
maintenance, and timely reporting of accidents and moving
violations.
The proper amount of care and planning used in selecting and
retaining employee drivers will have a definite affect on your
bottom line regarding preventable accidents and unnecessary loses.
It is very important to take the time to identify and eliminate
unsuitable drivers from your fleet safety program.
Risk-Level Changes
Drivers whose driving record has resulted in a risk-level (RL)
change (see table) should receive additional training as soon as
possible. This supplemental training should be at the driver’s
expense and not used as a substitute for regularly scheduled
training. Either traditional behind the wheel training or simulation
training is ideal for this type of requirement. Generally, this
should also include a documented Manager’s Observation Ride prior to
returning to normal job duties.
Non-Employee Drivers
All non-employees who are authorized to operate a company vehicle
should have completed a supplemental driver education program as
outlined above and provide the company with a certification
of completion prior to being allowed to operate a company vehicle.
Manager’s Observation Ride
All managers should conduct an annual (at the very least),
documented road observation ride of all drivers under their
supervision to ensure they comply with company procedures. This
should include
an observation of vehicle inspection, vehicle operation and the
driver’s safety attitude.
Other circumstances may require a more frequent Manager’s
Observation Ride, including a risk-level change, involvement in a
preventable accident and a return to driving duty after an extended
absence due to personal injury or illness, maternity leave, etc.
Training in the planning and conduct of the ride must be provided to
managers in order to present the necessary tools and insights into
the
objective of this program. FSM
Jack Fearing, CPEA, is a senior consultant with Aon Risk
Services in the Greater New York Region and based in Parsippany, NJ.
He has more than 25 years of experience in occupational safety &
health and fleet safety. |
