Any employer whose business operates using a fleet of vehicles knows how important safety is to their company. With employees operating large trucks that may be carrying heavy loads, it is important that you have an effective fleet safety program in place. The fact is, an accident can cost your company a significant amount of money in repair fees, injury claims, and sometimes even fines if a worker was in violation of a law or regulation. And you also don’t need or want your employee’s lives to be put at risk either.
Therefore, if you own or manage a company and are looking for new ways to improve your level of safety to help prevent a worker from sustaining an injury or being involved in an accident, consider these four steps that can help you develop a new fleet safety program or revise the one you currently have in place.
- The first thing you will want to do is complete a risk assessment. According to Verizon Connect, “a risk assessment is the process where you identify hazards, analyze or evaluate the risk associated with that hazard, and determine appropriate ways to eliminate or control the hazard” [Source: Truckinginfo.com]. Let’s say your company has had three to five accidents occur in the past year. You will want to look at what factors played a role in causing those accidents and what can be done to help prevent them in the future. If you can say that your company doesn’t always comply with state or federal regulations which has, in turn, contributed to some of the incidents that have transpired, then you know this is one of your areas that is in need of improvement and should be listed as one of your risks.
- Once you identify your problem areas that need to be improved, you will want to set achievable goals and objectives to target these areas. For example, Verizon Connect says that if you want to help reduce the chances of your drivers getting into an avoidable accident, perhaps you could do one or more of the following:
- Have your drivers participate in routine driver training.
- Use in-cab alerts for speeding or harsh breaking.
- Create a driver incentive program that encourages your drivers to practice safety during each and every trip they make.
When creating these goals, be sure everyone is included and is on the same page.
- Aside from creating goals that target ways to improve safety among your fleet drivers, you may also want to have them to participate in a safety training session. During this training, you will want to review the risks associated with your line of work and ways your drivers can avoid an accident. Some things your employees should learn in this training include:
- How to identify safety problems.
- How to analyze the causes of these safety problems.
- How to implement policies that encourage a safer environment.
These safety trainings are also good to bring everyone current on what changes need to be made and how that is going to be accomplished.
- Consider incorporating technology into the mix. Technology has changed dramatically over the years and there are many forms of it that can be beneficial to your business. For instance, there are some devices and apps that can be used that monitor your driver’s behavior. When a driver is aware that their behavior is being monitored, they are more inclined to follow the speed limit and not slam on their brakes. This in return, can help make their drive a safer one.
When an employer continually works on improving the level of safety within their company, it shows their employees they are committed to making their work environment a safer one. However, just because safety tactics are put into place doesn’t always mean an accident can be avoided. Sometimes, there are other drivers on the road that cause a collision to occur. And in the event a truck crash recently transpired and you would like to discuss it with a knowledgeable truck accident lawyer, contact us now at Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. We can explain the rights you hold as an employer and help get you and your employee the compensation you are due.
You can contact Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. at:
221 North La Salle Drive, Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60601
1-312-384-1920
