February 2007
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Prepare a Fleet Safety Plan
A vehicle safety policy should express your company’s concern for employees’ safety and describe their responsibilities as drivers
and passengers. The policy should cover employees’ responsibilities when they use any vehicle as an agent of your company: for
example, company vehicles for personal use, personal vehicles for company business, and rental or leased vehicles used for business.
Employees also should acknowledge, in writing, that they have read and understood the policy.
Motor vehicle crashes also have far-reaching effects on victims and their families, and cost employers millions of dollars annually. If your employees need to drive when they’re on the job, you should manage motor vehicle safety just as carefully as you manage any other aspect of your business. Consider the following to keep your employees safe when they’re driving and to ensure that your company’s vehicles are safe to drive.
Involve the managers
Managing driver safety starts with commitment from the top. Management’s commitment to motor vehicle safety helps ensure that employees follow safe practices and that company vehicles are properly maintained. If managers aren’t committed to safety, employees won’t be either.
Do a risk analysis
A risk analysis can track how effectively your company is managing vehicle safety. Start your analysis by determining what
data your company has on its motor vehicle accidents; you’ll need this data to establish a baseline for evaluating accident
trends. Don’t forget recordkeeping logs such as the OSHA 300 and OSHA 300A. It’s a good idea to keep data on all incidents
that involve motor vehicles — even those that don’t result in damage or injury.
For you analytical types, here's some number crunching formulas you can use for evaluating motor vehicle incidents:
- Incident rate = number of incidents X 100 / number of vehicles operated
- Incident rate = number of incidents X 1,000,000 / vehicle mileage
- Injury incident rate = number of incidents with injury X 1,000,000 / vehicle mileage
- Incidents per 10,000 deliveries = number of incidents X 10,000 / number of deliveries
- Incidents per 10,000 loads = number of incidents X 10,000 / number of loads
- Passenger injury incident rate = number of vehicle incidents resulting in passenger injury X 1,000,000 /number of passengers carried
- Passenger injury rate per million miles = number of passenger injuries X 1,000,000 / vehicle mileage
- Vehicle incidents per 200,000 hours = number of incidents X 200,000 / number of hours worked
Develop safe drivers
Define driver qualifications. Make sure that driver qualifications and special licensing requirements are included in employees’ job
descriptions.
Run record checks. Tell prospective employees that your company
will review their state motor vehicle records and check references
from previous employers as part of the hiring process. Review
employees’ driving records at least annually.
Evaluate employees’ driving records. Consider establishing a point
system for assessing employees’ driving records and determining
those whose driving is not satisfactory. For example, you could
assign “points” for different categories of moving violations then
determine how many points trigger an unsatisfactory driving record.
Educate and train. Ensure that your employees understand
your company’s vehicle safety policy when they’re hired. Many
companies have discovered that their new hires have more motor
vehicle accidents than veteran employees. Require new hires to
participate in safe-driving training as soon as possible after they’re
hired. Other employees should have the opportunity to periodically
update their driving knowledge and skills.
Key training topics cover:
- Defensive driving skills
- Substance abuse policy
- Distracted driving hazards
- Characteristics of aggressive driving
- Vehicle inspection procedures
- Necessary emergency equipment
Discipline and reward. Make it clear to employees that those who
violate vehicle safety policies will be disciplined. Drivers who have a
history of preventable incidents should receive training that improves
their skills. Also, give credit to employees who have exemplary
driving records; recognition or special privileges can be effective
incentives.
Keep accurate records. Each employee’s personnel file should
have the following information: a copy of the employee’s current
Oregon motor vehicle record, reports of incidents involving company
vehicles, reference checks from former employers, training records,
and a copy of the employee’s current driver license.
Keep the vehicles safe
Fleet safety. Don’t overlook crashworthiness when your
company purchases vehicles. You can learn about the safety
of a particular vehicle make and model at the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Web site:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov.
Choose appropriate equipment upgrades. Before you purchase
items such as trailer hitches, cargo racks, or custom tires and
wheels, make sure that they’re appropriate and safe for drivers
and passengers.
Prepare for emergencies. All vehicles should have equipment
that helps drivers respond to highway emergencies. Flares or
warning signs, a first-aid kit, flashlight, a reflective safety vest,
and a fire extinguisher should be essential items; drivers must
know where they’re located and how to use them.
Establish a regular inspection/maintenance schedule. Develop
procedures that ensure company vehicles receive thorough
inspections and maintenance on a regular schedule such as miles
driven, hours operated, or calendar days. Have employees report
mechanical problems to their supervisors immediately.
Document and investigate incidents
Report all incidents. You company should have a written
procedure that tells employees what to do if they’re involved
in an accident or if they damage a vehicle. The procedure
should identify who to notify and what forms are necessary
to report the incident; require employees to report incidents
within 24 hours.
Incident review and analysis. Review all incidents to determine
why they occurred and how to prevent them from happening
again. Identify what caused it (the primary surface causes) and any contributing
factors (contributing surface causes) and safety management system weaknesses (root causes). Put the findings in writing.
Source: OR-OSHA Construction Depot Quarterly
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© 2007 Geigle Communications, LLC. All rights reserved.
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