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Idealease Safety Bulletin - Proactive vs. Reactive Safety and Loss Control Program

Dec. 6 2019 Miscellaneous By Carrie LeBlanc

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The December 6th edition of the Idealsafe Safety Bulletin, '"Proactive vs. Reactive Safety and Loss Control Program is here!

Click to DOWNLOAD this current issue for important safety tips and reminders, as well as any past archives.

In this week's edition:

1. Proactive vs Reactive Safety and Loss Control Programs: Which do you have?

  • Ongoing analysis of your program is a must. Compare to the previous year. 
  • Accident frequency should be determined quarterly at minimum to determine trends and be proactive in controlling losses. 
  • Also analyze: driver turnover, DOT violations, OSHA violations, on board safety technologies, worker's comp injuries and review your CSA SMS data from the FMCSA on a monthly basis by visiting https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/ 


    A sound Proactive Safety and Loss Control program will adequately address the following areas: 
    • Driver Selection
    • Driver recruiting
    • Carrier-based training
    • Management-driver communications
    • Driver safety-performance evaluation
    • Safety incentives
    • Behavior-based safety
    • On-board safety monitoring
    • Event-data recorder
    • Accident investigation
    • Improved driver scheduling and dispatching
    • Fatigue management
    • Carrier-based medical programs
    • Advanced safety technologies
    • Industry-based safety standards and certification
    • Preventive maintenance and vehicle inspection

2. Snow plow safety - Don't crowd the plow! With winter nearing, snowstorms become more and more frequent and snowplows work at all hours to ensure our roads are passable. Follow these safety tips around snowplows:

  • Keep back: plow drivers can't see behind their trucks. Protect yourself from injury and sanding material by keeping a safe distance. 
  • Know where the snowplow is on multi-lane highways: watch lanes carefully and check the shoulders
  • Never drive through a snow cloud or whiteout conditions:  be patient. Snowplow operators will periodically pull over to allow traffic to pass. 

3. Holiday Driving tips:

  • Seat belts - always! For all passengers! 
  • Be flexible. Leave early or change your schedule if travel conditions turn risky.
  • Stay alert! Pull off if you get tired, or stay the night if needed. Do not push yourself to meet an unrealistic schedule. 
  • Be conscious of your speed. 
  • Let impatient or aggressive drivers pass
  • Always have a designated driver if needed! 

4. Alcohol, Drivers and the Holidays:

  • It's always a good time to remind drivers of the consequences of drinking during the holiday season and the effect it has on their CDL, operator's license and employment
  • Alcohol is a legal substance; therefore, the rules define specific prohibited alcohol-related conduct. Performance of safety-sensitive functions is prohibited:
    • while using alcohol
    • while having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.04 percent or greater as indicated by an alcohol breath test
    • within four hours after using alcohol

      Register Here for the Question/Tip of the Week covering topics like: 
  • Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
  • Safety
  • Scorecarding
  • Driver performance
  • Motivation
  • Incentives

Please be sure to share this safety bulletin with others that could benefit from these tip or sign up to get the weekly bulletin delivered straight to your inbox!  We encourage both drivers and fleet or transportation managers to sign up!