Due diligence and employees who drive; we have long way to go!
I was chatting with a friend and colleague the other day about safety and employees who must drive as part of their duties. This major retailer operates its own fleet of tractor trailer delivery vehicles and operates Canada-wide. We have been providing driver safety products and services to their delivery fleet operation for a decade now, but we were discussing the other “non-professional” drivers: Employees who drive many kilometers every year to do their job. I asked what they were doing to keep these employees safe? The answer shocked me: “We never really thought about that,” he said.
This organization is one of the best in terms of customer service, employee morale and relations and was recognized as one of Canada’s Safest Employers and yet for employees who drive personal and company vehicles from time to time in the course of their duties, nothing is done. Not even checking that employees are licensed, much less annual checks of driving records. It was just never considered.
They are not alone. Too many employers fail to recognize that if they send their employees out onto the road, they are driving as part of their job. While driving may not be the principal part of their job, they are driving as part of their profession and may be woefully unprepared to safely execute this duty in the environment and vehicles required.
But, you say, if these workers have current licenses, they must be competent!
Not necessarily.
In order to become licensed, one must pass certain tests, typically a knowledge test followed by at least one driving test (in some jurisdictions 2 road tests). The road test may have been conducted when the worker was a teenager and upon passing, their driving will never be looked at again until they either participate in a corporate driving safety program or get flagged by the system for excessive violations or hit the senior years when retesting may occur. To complicate matters further, road tests are available in even the smallest of communities and may be taken in the smallest of cars and yet a passing mark yields a license that permits the holder to drive any sized vehicle in that license class in downtown Toronto, Detroit, Montreal, Los Angeles or Vancouver.
Think about it: Road test in the tiny interior town of Sparwood, BC, in a Smart car. Next thing you know, your new job has you driving a service van or full size car or pick-up in downtown Edmonton. How on earth can we think that this person has been prepared to meet the challenge? Yet, if they fail to measure up and have an incident or accident, we may blame them for not taking enough care or being defensive enough!
What other occupational duty requiring training and exposing employees to high risk (driving remains the most probable activity to result in an injury incident on the job) requires no initial or refresher training or recertification? Even first aid requires regular re-training and qualification!
Our conversation really got interesting for me when I mentioned that due diligence would be to at least require annual driver abstract (record) checks with a maximum number of penalty points permitted and provision for some remedial action if this number was exceeded. This is where it really hit me. My enlightened safety professional colleague asked how we should distinguish between on the job tickets and off the job tickets. My response: the same way that you distinguish between criminal activity on or off the job. You require responsible and legal behaviour ON or OFF the job. Driving infractions off the job are equally relevant. Would you hire someone convicted of embezzlement while off the job to work in your accounting department?
He said, “Hmm, I think I see where you are going with this.”
Indeed.
Employers can take a few simple steps toward enhancing employee safety and demonstrate due diligence by:
- Checking driving records of employees who must drive prior to hiring and regularly after that (annual is recommended).
- Upon hiring, ensure employees are capable and not simply licensed by evaluating driving skills in the vehicle that will be used for work and in the same environment, to set a baseline and determine if training is required.
- Then, do training if indicated.
- Provide regular refresher and/or upgrade training as well as specialty training where indicated; winter driving or four wheel drive training, etc.
There are some outstanding and progressive companies that are truly showing the way by embracing driver safety issues and addressing them this way in their OHS programs (you know who you are). For everyone else, let’s make a start today towards reducing the risk in this most risky of work activities!
Written by: Spencer McDonald, President, Thinking Driver
