Fleet Safety is important to your company across all levels...
Employees driving vehicles and equipment is one of the biggest risks for most construction operations. A triple threat of worker injuries, property damage, and third-party liabilities makes fleet safety is just as, if not more, important than job site safety. To help control these threats, policies and procedures to address fleet related exposures for your operations must be implemented.
The most important component to a fleet safety program is hiring and maintaining quality drivers to avoid negligent entrustment. Onerous financial consequences come with negligence in a vehicle, and you will be responsible. There are a few steps you can take to keep your company safe from careless drivers.
1. Extensive Criteria for New Drivers
Most insurance carriers look for no more than three moving vehicle violations within three years and/or no more than two violations within the last 12 months. Your policy should be clear that reckless driving, or a serious event such as a DUI, would result in immediate restriction from company vehicles.
2. Existing Driver Criteria
While these should be closely aligned with New Driver Criteria, they can include mandatory training workshops, probation for particular actions, or disciplinary action to supplement the policy.
3. Addressing Personal Use of Vehicles
The insurance coverage and risk to the company "follows the vehicle" so restricting family/personal use of a company vehicle should be included in the policy. Requiring management approval for personal use is a good first step.
4. Addressing "non-owned" Vehicle Usage
Employees using personal vehicles for company use creates workers compensation and liability exposure for the company. Requiring certificates of insurance and in some cases running motor vehicles records (MVRs) are a good risk management practice to reduce the risk for the company.
5. Post Accident Procedures
Information and resources for drivers to follow in the event of an accident can ensure prompt attention to the claim, reducing costs and potential litigation.
You can find more information and helpful hints for preparing your fleet safety policy at
http://www.osha.gov/Publications/motor_vehicle_guide.pdf
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