The importance of a strong safety policy
June 11, 2010
By Karen Healy
Director, Product Management
PHH Arval
It’s June and National Safety Month: Do you know where your safety policy is?
It is easy to get caught up in reviewing, evaluating and even implementing cool new safety programs for the fleet. But time and again, we have seen these programs fail. Is it because they are flawed? In most cases, no. Instead, the problem is that the programs are implemented without any context.
Safety policies (and their enforcement) provide context. A safety policy lets drivers know how important safety is to the organization, and what will (and will not) be tolerated. The policy and its enforcement also show drivers the consequences of their actions.
I know, I know – putting together a safety policy is hard work and frankly can be a little boring. But a safety policy is foundational to getting real results from a safety program.
So how do you get started? First, an effective driver safety policy needs to be:
- Written clearly and concisely
- Endorsed by senior leadership
- Disseminated to all drivers
- Enforced by management
- Updated regularly
As for what’s in the policy, that can vary by company, but consider including the following:
- New hire criteria
- MVR checks
- Vehicle maintenance and usage
- Drugs, alcohol
- Speeding
- Seatbelts
- Cell phone, other electronics use
- Driver safety training requirements
- Crash reporting and investigation process
- Responsibilities and consequences
- Violations that disqualify drivers
- Spouses/secondary drivers
The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, a group focused on improving company driver safety, shares some best practices from fleets that have been able to significantly reduce their crash rates.
As part of National Safety Month, I encourage you to review or update your safety policy. It is the foundation of any good safety program.
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