Building a safe and effective work procedure in road safety
Building a safe work procedure in road safety. They are road safety cornerstones. If they are done well, procedures explain the correct methods employees in your organization can apply for driving success and to prevent costly crashes. Effective procedures are ones that clearly explain how the organization expects its employees to drive. They are easy to understand and apply.
Effective safe work procedures are essential tools for minimizing exposure to driving-related hazards. And, the key to building safe driving procedures that work is to convert the “best practices” knowledge that experienced drivers use with success into easily understandable instructions that all drivers can and will follow. This section explains how to build effective safe driving procedures. We will be listing out the procedure below which you can follow in building yours.
1. Get started
A. Gather a small and knowledgeable team.
People drafting procedures must be familiar with the work-related driving employees undertake, and the hazards they encounter. Together, the team needs to know the range of practical options available to manage associated risks. Involve your drivers, especially those with a reputation for “doing it right”. Include someone who can put good ideas onto paper in a clear and ordered manner.
B. Make available sufficient resources.
Make sure the team has what it requires to succeed. They need time to meet, research and discuss. They will need to consult with management and perhaps external experts. Provide the team with what they need to do a good job.
C. Confirm priorities.
Check the results of your risk assessments. Is management involved and onboard with paying attention to the highest-ranked risks, first? Is the team clear on its goals?
2. Assemble the necessary information.
A. Talk to employees that drive for work
The procedures must be practical. If drivers can’t do the things the procedure specifies, it may not work out well or probably cost the organization more damages. Talk with the people you expect to apply the procedure. They know the hazards they face and have good ideas about how to minimize risks. Ask them to describe how they complete that task, and why they do it that way. Even if they are currently using an incorrect procedure, you will gain valuable insight into the hazard that the new procedure needs to address.
B. Ask around
Your organization is likely not the first to draft a procedure for controlling exposure to a given driving hazard. Ask other employers what works for them. Search online. Check with your health and safety association. Take advantage of the resources Road Safety At Work offers.
C. Check existing policies
In order to achieve objectives, procedures need to align with policies. Review your safety program to see how its policies would inform the procedure you are developing. Check with management to make sure policies are current and correct.
D. Check the regulations.
Safety regulations are often results-based, they describe result(s) that must be achieved, rather than steps that must be followed to achieve it. However, some regulations have specific requirements that your procedures need to address.
Safe work procedure is easy to build in every area of safety. While the road requires more attention, it can be easily achieved if all hands are on the desk.
