10(+) Slide PowerPoint Fleet Safety

OSH 3301, Fleet Safety 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit IV Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

4. Explain contemporary practices in driver training and instruction. 4.1 Explain the benefits of using in-cab cameras in fleet vehicles. 4.2 Demonstrate how in-cab cameras can help improve methods of safety mitigation.

Course/Unit Learning

Outcomes

Learning Activity

4.1 Unit Lesson, Chapter 9, Unit Assignment

4.2 Unit Lesson, Chapter 9, Unit Assignment

Reading Assignment Chapter 9: Best Practices In order to access the following resources, click the links below. Druce, C. (2016, June 27). Caught on film. Motor Transport, 20–23. Retrieved from

https://libraryresources.waldorf.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=http://search.ebscohost.com.libraryresource s.waldorf.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=116780200&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Kilcarr, S. (2016, March 30). Why driver cameras are critical: One fleet’s view. Fleet Owner, 31. Retrieved

from https://libraryresources.waldorf.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=http://search.ebscohost.com.libraryresource s.waldorf.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=115285900&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Nalepka, M. (2016, March 14). The big question: Cameras on the drivers or not? Fleet Owner Exclusive

Insight. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.waldorf.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=http://search.ebscohost.com.libraryresource s.waldorf.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=113820943&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Travelers Indemnity Company. (n.d.). 8 elements of a fleet safety program. Retrieved from

https://www.travelers.com/resources/driver-fleet-safety/8-elements-of-a-fleet-safety-program.aspx

Unit Lesson Introduction The term best practices is often used within a company’s safety culture each day. Based on federal safety regulations from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), in addition to safety procedures introduced within each company, safety managers must design and implement many best practices for fleet drivers to ensure safety while on the job. Best practices are based on the need to promote safety within fleet operations, including complying with all regulations. Safety managers face a daily challenge of balancing the rules and using tools to carry out the rules within their fleets. They must mitigate risks while facilitating safety. In doing so, they carry the responsibility of identifying risks and implementing innovative processes to improve safety throughout their fleet.

UNIT IV STUDY GUIDE

Fleet Management Practices and Driver Monitoring

OSH 3301, Fleet Safety 2

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Core Elements of Fleet Safety Management There are three main elements used by management to build their fleet operations. These elements are the driver, the fleet vehicles, and the operations associated with using these vehicles each day. Each of these elements is important in building a successful and safe fleet while ensuring operational excellence. Management should be cognizant of the importance of hiring drivers based on their abilities as opposed to the needs of the company. By hiring qualified drivers with the correct driving history, they can help reduce potential safety risks and the amount of re-training that could potentially take place in the future if the driver is less experienced working in a fleet. In addition to hiring the most qualified drivers, management can review and assess the need for specific vehicles within their fleets. The cheapest vehicles are not always the best when building a fleet. Certain kinds of vehicles are necessary depending on what the company needs to transport. There are always specific objectives that should be reviewed and determined by management within any company to ensure their fleets are built to serve the company in the best ways possible. Having to purchase new vehicles in the near future or increase maintenance costs with current ones can cost the company more money. The last core element is the operations. Maintaining consistency in use of the fleet vehicles through safety processes and driving standards can establish proper operations. With a formal and effective fleet in place, safety managers can then organize and facilitate the development of safety programs for all employees involved within the process of managing and operating within a fleet. Procedures should be built on the most current and up-to-date safety regulations. These should then be integrated into the company’s safety culture and practices to promote an efficient safety program. Screening drivers and hiring the most qualified drivers can better assist the company with obtaining objectives. Training employees to succeed in their jobs is also very important in maintaining an effective and efficient safety culture. It is in this method that companies can assess the possible outcomes of best practices and procedures to try to not only proactively mitigate risks but improve existing policies as necessary to establish continuous compliance with federal regulations. Steps for Promoting Safety Initiatives According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (as cited in Haight, 2015), approximately 21% of worker fatalities occur as a result of motor vehicle incidents. This percentage is a good demonstration of the ongoing need for fleet safety managers to improve their best practices. Safety managers can create their own best practices to effectively approach training methods and assist their company with promoting new methods of innovative safety. Communicating these practices to drivers is necessary for a comprehensive fleet safety program. Throughout companies, safety managers should start at the beginning in order to understand the problem. Is the problem with the vehicle? Is the problem with the driver? Could the problem lie in ineffective training? Thorough reviews of all aspects within fleet safety management can be the difference between an educated response and just a temporary solution to a problem. Technology has also significantly changed vehicle operations over the last two decades, which causes management to have to review past accidents and issues to better understand and determine the root cause. Safety managers and supervisors should meet frequently as federal safety regulations change each year. In order to create an effective and efficient safety culture, companies can work to achieve success in training fleet drivers by setting safety goals that meet regulations in alignment with company objectives. These objectives are best practices set forth by companies. Execution of effective communications can promote interaction, which can then promote improvements within a safety culture. Increasing initiatives to promote safe actions throughout a fleet assists with driver buy-in so that drivers are a part of the safety culture designed and implemented by the company. Additionally, management needs to review drivers’ histories prior to hiring. While comprehensive policies must be developed in accordance with federal regulations, the best practices of companies need to be initiated throughout the entire process, beginning with full background checks on drivers prior to training them to operate within the company’s fleet. If a driver is determined to be at risk, they should not be hired. Those who are hired should be accurately trained by management from the start. Sustainability within the safety culture of a company should be a number one priority.

OSH 3301, Fleet Safety 3

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Innovative Changes in Safety Operations Due to a recorded annual increase in on-the-job accidents involving fleet drivers, more companies are initiating the use of onboard cameras that operate when the vehicle is in motion. Upon investigating options, many companies are discovering a lower cost method of monitoring vehicle usage is through installing cameras within each vehicle. Presently, there are various types of onboard cameras that are offered to companies for purchase such as SmartDrive, Lytx, and Safety Track. These cameras offer the chance for companies to use the results and improve safety training. “SmartDrive uses a two-camera system (forward- facing and interior) in concert with an onboard recorder, GPS, accelerators and the ability to send footage wirelessly to record incidents triggered by harsh braking, near misses, and impacts” (Druce, 2016, p. 20). They also increase a company’s visibility when reviewing the videos so that safety managers can determine a more accurate view of the driver’s performance and any possible distractions or road hazards that may have caused an accident. Videos and recordings have even demonstrated poor driving performance from drivers who have never had a recorded accident, and, therefore, their behavior was never seen. This not only allows safety managers to review what happens in a vehicle in real time, but it also allows them to use the information to reduce the probability of future accidents through improvement of driver behavior. Another main use of onboard cameras within fleet vehicles is to assist a company in possibly defending itself in court, if necessary, through strategically placed cameras that record movements not only inside the vehicle but also outside, capturing all traffic movements around the vehicle. This type of use can drastically influence costs as well as the efficiency of operations in an organization. The direct and indirect costs that occur when an accident happens can drastically affect an organization. Costs can also be impacted by who is at fault in the accident; however, Cruice, List, and Pollard (as cited in Haight, 2015) argue that the best way to reduce the cost of an accident is to prevent it all together. Sometimes, an accident is unavoidable by the company driver because the other driver involved in the accident is at fault. These cameras can capture the accident when it occurs, thereby recording how the accident happened and possibly identifying who was at fault. Expected Outcomes When efficient safety programs are set in place and sufficient training is provided by an organization for its drivers, performance standards are set for fleet management, and an efficient safety culture is utilized. Comprehensive fleet safety management begins with regulations that are used in a proper training environment. Existing policies and new policies must always be communicated to the drivers who are at the forefront of operations within a fleet. Implementation of correct training practices is necessary because it helps safety managers ensure continuous compliance with federal and company regulations when operating a fleet vehicle. Safety compliance results can be monitored and measured by safety managers to allow improvements within all safety training programs. Timely reviews and current safety practices in addition to reports and records can facilitate key performance indicators in driving behaviors that can allow a currently effective fleet operation to follow-up on maintaining the company’s desired results. If a driver is not operating to standards, then these types of records can be utilized to replace those inadequate drivers as well as improve communications regarding performance standards to current drivers. Finally, these types of records can also improve the company’s service to customers because customer satisfaction depends in part on an efficient fleet.

References Druce, C. (2016, June 27). Caught on film. Motor Transport, 20–23. Retrieved from

https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=http://search.ebscohost.com/logi n.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=116780200&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Haight, J. M. (Ed.). (2015). Fleet safety: For safety professionals and fleet managers. Park Ridge, IL:

American Society of Safety Engineers.

OSH 3301, Fleet Safety 4

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Learning Activities (Non-Graded) Non-Graded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information. Review the short case study regarding the use of SmartDrive within the Salvation Army’s fleet vehicles by clicking the link below: SmartDrive. (n.d.). Client profile: The Salvation Army. Retrieved from http://www.smartdrive.net/case-

studies/the-salvation-army/ What was one of the main reasons why the company initiated the use of videos within its fleets to improve safety?