Every year, motor vehicle accidents at work cost employers $60 billion in medical care, legal expenses, property damage and lost productivity. What’s worse is that our hard workers are seriously injured and unable to work as a result. The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) lists the following steps employers can take to build a safe driving program in the workplace:
• Request involvement from both management and employees: senior management involvement is extremely important for setting and enforcing safe driving habits in workers. As a supervisor, encourage employee participation.
• Have written policies: create, clear, easy to follow driving safety policies and communicate them clearly and often to your employees. Discuss the policies on cell phone use while driving, zero-tolerance for alcohol or drug consumption during company hours, and the mandatory use of seat belts.
• Create driver-agreement contracts: establish a contract with all employees who drive for work acknowledging awareness and understanding of safety police, procedures and expectations for driver performance.
• Perform driving record checks: check your employees’ driving records on a regular basis. Clearly define the number of violations each employee has and determine the appropriate consequences as well as ways to avoid future violations.
• Report crashes: immediately report crashes to the employee’s supervisor, regardless of severity. Each crash needs to be reviewed to determine their cause and whether or not the crashes were preventable.
• Implement a disciplinary system: develop a system that prosecutes any violators who have multiple counts. Those who develop a pattern of reckless driving habits should be disciplined to some degree.
• Conduct driver training: make it mandatory for each employee to participate in a driver training course. Those with multiple offenses should be required to repeat the course.
• Keep company vehicles in working order: make sure the company vehicles are properly maintained and ready for treacherous weather of any kind. A mechanic should come and inspect vehicles periodically.
If you’ve been injured on the job, contact our experienced workers’ comp attorneys to file your claim now.
Source: Safety and Health Magazine