The essential elements of the “DO” step in road safety
The essential elements of the “DO” step in road safety. While road safety is a very important topic to be discussed in ensuring safety for the lives of employees and the safety of properties, there are certain elements that need to be put into consideration for those to work perfectly.
In our last article, The essential element of The “PLAN” step in road safety we discussed the elements of the PLAN steps in road safety, you can read from that to have a deeper understanding. Today we will be discussing the “DO” step in road safety.
1. Pstablishment of Effective Control.
The very first thing in the “DO” is to establish effective control that can put immediate care to any road safety issues. Controls are the measures used to eliminate or minimize exposure to hazards and to protect workers from harm. You may want to build controls from scratch or adapt existing ones to fit the driving circumstances in your workplace.
2. Focus on the driver and communicate.
If organizations want to ensure, every road safety guideline is followed, it is advisable the driver is focused on, and communicated to duly at all the time. Whether you call them skills, qualifications, or competencies, it’s important to know that employees who drive for work have what it takes to safely complete their driving assignments. That applies equally whether they drive their own vehicle for work, or they drive a company vehicle. Communication is defined as both imparting and exchanging information. Most times, managers forget that effective communication requires listening as much as it does speaking. A strong communicator understands that listening to employees’ concerns, their ideas, their suggestions is as important as imparting information to them.
3. Apply traveling management.
Organizations must learn to apply and put into place traveling or driving management that is safety-oriented at all times. Employees encounter countless hazards, making driving risky activities your employees will undertake. This section provides several journey management resources and a mobile-friendly online tool to help your organization eliminate or minimize exposure to those hazards, manage the associated risks and reduce the likelihood any of your employees will be injured in a work-related crash. Journey management toolkits include the use of trip heck etc.
4. Usage or Safe Vehicles
When road safety is concerned, the most important criteria to be on the road with is a safe car. Any car to be driven must be certified safe. Selecting vehicles that are fit for purpose, properly inspecting, maintaining, and repairing them promptly will minimize the risk that work vehicles will contribute to a crash. Whatever the case may be, if they are company-owned or employee-owned, make sure the employees of vehicles employees used for work are fit for the purposes they are used. Work vehicles need to be of a suitable type and configuration and have the right equipment so they are capable of performing intended tasks.
5. Always provide standard and necessary supervision.
Employees must be placed under close supervision to ensure safety is the most important thing they are after. Unlike workplaces where workers are present at the same location for the entire work day, workers who drive will be on the road for part of the day, all day, and sometimes for days at a time. This can make it challenging for supervisors to meet their supervisory responsibilities. It can be difficult monitoring employees they can’t see, hear or speak with to provide guidance and instruction.
The “DO” step is an action element of road safety so it is very important both employers and employees are made to understand the need to practice whatever they are being taught for excellent road safety practice.
