The winter time, make no mistake, is perhaps the most dangerous time of year for driving. First of all, we all know about the various holiday parties that happen during this time, and certainly it’s almost expected that the number of intoxicated drivers seems to dramatically increase during colder months. But let us also discount that and assume the dangers of driving in cold weather itself – the snow, black ice on the road, ice on windshields, fog, less daylight, freezing (and below) temperatures.
[Image courtesy of Jerrico on Pixabay via a Creative Commons license]For many companies, employees driving in the winter is a necessity, despite the risks. Due to this, it is imperative that supervisors and executives are up to speed with safety regulations and the company’s winter-driving safety program.
Yes, we know they are all adults and they can all take care of themselves. They all have insurance, so everything is fine, right? Yes and no. If something happens that could be avoided and is not, the company could be facing serious liability above and beyond the insurance that is on the fleet or any umbrella policies that cover employees. And of course, perhaps more importantly, there is the risk that any incident that occurs on a winter road could mean the loss of life among the workforce at the company, and what could be the cost of that?
Safety officers have a duty to have policies and protocols in place – in conjunction with local and federal safety regulations – and to see that they are implemented and enforced with due diligence. But often, a single safety officer is never enough. There often has to be buy-in with supervisors and administrators and executives for a workplace policy to be truly effective. If there is ever a policy or safety program that needs to be enforced, it would have to be the winter driving program. There is just too much at stake for it not to be proposed, implemented and enforced – and not just for the gastrointestinal health of the safety professional.
What I would like to do with the posts this week is to use it as a piggyback to previous posts about winter driving, and to go over some reminders of things that employers and supervisors can do to enforce and help implement the safety protocols and policies to meet the “due diligence” aspect of many safety regulations. As long as the higher-ups pay attention to winter driving and the safety measures to keep drivers and others on the road safe, the odds of having an incident-free winter season is much better.
While supervisors and employers or executives have differing roles when it comes to safety of employees, there is one thing they have in common. None of these people can claim ignorance if something happens. It is a legal duty, responsibility and even requirement for everyone in some kind of supervisory role to make sure they know their own and the company’s legal and moral responsibilities when it comes to local and federal laws and regulations regarding occupational safety. As a safety officer, it is your job to make sure these people are briefed, trained and have an understanding of these laws and regulations, and to ensure they have the tools necessary to carry out their part of the policies and remain in compliance with the laws. If and when an incident happens, ignorance will actually make things worse instead of better.
I will give you a couple days to review safety laws and regulations among safety officers, supervisors and executive-level staff. When I come back here Friday, I will go over some of the specific tips and action items that the supervisors and executive team can each implement to support the winter-driving safety program that is already in place.
It is already in place, right?