North Dakota Work Site Safety Program Manual -- Page 3

DECISIONS...
WHY WORK SITE SAFETY?

The consequences of impaired driving, the lack of safety belt usage and inattentive or distracted driving pose both economic and emotional burdens. When a worker is injured on-the-job in a highway crash, it costs the employer an average of $43,000.00 in medical care, legal expenses, property damage and lost productivity. Crash injuries also drive up the cost of benefits, such as private health and disability insurance and Social Security. Every time an employee is killed in a traffic crash, society pays nearly $1,040,000.00.

Startling but true, today motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for Americans from ages 15 to 34 and are, also, the number one cause of employee death in the work place. In North Dakota, the majority of traffic fatalities are male and unbuckled.

North Dakota continues to rank one of the lowest in the nation for safety belt usage and among one of the highest in percentage of alcohol-related fatalities. These, along with other high-risk factors, contributed to 100 highway deaths last year creating an approximate overall cost to society of $104,000,000.00.

In an effort to increase safety belt usage and eliminate impaired driving, a statewide campaign was introduced. The primary campaign theme is “Do Buckle, Don’t Booze.” Also, the theme includes two secondary messages, “Click It Or Ticket” and “You Drink & Drive. You Lose.” emphasizing the enforcement efforts. Developing partnerships with organizations such as yours is critical to the success of this campaign. One of the ways to save lives and reduce the severity of highway injuries is to promote safe driving. We hope you will consider adopting this program and implementing the included lifesaving policies and practices in your company. It’s a win-win situation for you and your employees.

INSURANCE PREMIUM SAVINGS POSSIBLE IF YOU QUALIFY

Businesses can save up to 15 percent on their Workforce Safety and Insurance (WSI) premiums by reducing the frequency and severity of their WSI claims. For most businesses, driving a motor vehicle represents a significant hazard to the employee. General safety rules should be developed that include policies regarding traffic safety (i.e. mandating on-the-job safety belt usage, zero tolerance for distracted and impaired driving and underage drinking).

Contact WSI (1-800-777-5033) for details on how your business can qualify for the Risk Management Program Plus premium discount today!

EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES
NEED TO COMMIT

Both employers and employees need to commit to and recognize the responsibility of maintaining a safe work site. Management will serve as role models by making wise choices: always wearing a safety belt, driving slowly through the parking lots and never driving distracted or impaired.

Employees must be responsible by following company policies and practices.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

To measure the success of your work site safety practices, your company should calculate the annual costs involved when a worker is injured or killed on-the-job in a highway crash. Then review existing company policy and work site safety practices. (See sample employee perception survey and employer crash cost worksheet.)

Survey employee perceptions and attitudes on existing safety policies and practices. Solicit their support before you implement a new program. These results will provide baseline data to prioritize problems and measure improvements after a safety program has been implemented.

Another opportunity for employers to gather information regarding employee behavior is through observation. To conduct an observational survey, prepare a list of behaviors you would like to evaluate. The list could include vehicle speed, safety belt usage, the use of distracting devices such as cellular phones, driver courtesy, etc. Surveys of this type will determine the current level of traffic safety commitment. (See sample how to conduct a safety belt survey.)

NOW YOU CAN START

A work site safety program can modify the behavior of your employees creating a safer place for everyone.

To change behavior everyone must recognize their responsibility in making good choices. Wearing a safety belt, eliminating driver distraction and not driving impaired are steps in the right direction. When individuals make poor choices, not only does it put them at risk, but their co-workers, as well.

FORM YOUR TEAM

The next step in implementing a work site safety program is forming a safety team. This team will assist the company in developing safety policies, coordinating surveys, promoting employee participation and evaluating program success. Who would be good team players? Safety and fleet managers, human resource directors, etc. Your team should have all levels of staff represented. Also, choose a team leader who is ultimately responsible for the implementation of your work site safety program. The team leader must be given the authority, and the time necessary, to implement a successful program.

At this point, you should have completed the employee perception and/or observation survey and reviewed existing company policy and current safety practices calculating baseline data.

Now, you must report your assessment results/cost analysis to management. Outline the costs associated with and without an organized safety program in place. An excellent way to reinforce the cost factor to management is to demonstrate the profit needed to offset the costs involved without a work site safety program. Reassure management there is a solution to this very serious problem. Encourage them to enhance or endorse the implementation of traffic safety policies and develop activities to encourage company-wide compliance.

Items you may wish to include in your assessment results:

  • number of motor vehicle crashes per year;
  • annual miles driven per vehicle;
  • miles between crashes;
  • estimated costs per motor vehicle crash;
  • and annual motor vehicle crash costs for company fleet, etc.


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