It’s sometimes easy to forget about the travel element of delivering community programming. Staff must get around town and services must be delivered – literally in many cases.
Mike Harding, senior loss control specialist for Markel Insurance, walked attendees through the implementation of an effective driver-safety program during his session “Are Your Employees like Leroy Neiman’s ‘Grand Prix’ Drivers? How to Navigate to get a Driver Safety Program,” during Risk Summit 2017 in Philadelphia, Pa., sponsored by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center.
- Focuses of the program included:
- Selecting your driver. Establish written criteria that includes a background check, a drug screening, review of past work records, and a three-year motor vehicle record (MVR). Make it clear to applicants that failure to participate in pre-and post-hire MVR screenings will lead to denial or loss of employment;
- Evaluate candidates. Important factors might include validity of driver’s license, driving restrictions such as corrective lenses or inability to drive at night, three or more violations in the past three years, or inexperience. Violations connected with a fatal accident, hit and runs, and driving with a suspended or expired license are among factors for disqualification;
- Develop written policies and programs. Document how you expect the driving aspect of your organization to operate. A written safety program discussing seatbelt usage, reportage of moving violations, and distracted driving could be among considerations. Rules should be clear, effectively communicated, tested, and enforced;
- Orientate, onboard, and train. Training should be recurring, move across multiple communication methods, and be conducted in a structured, class-room like environment. Attendance for training should be mandatory and drivers should be tested on what is covered;
- Inspect and maintain vehicles. Train drivers on how to inspect vehicles and make sure that vehicles are inspected prior to use. Have all physical damage reported to management, make repairs promptly as needed, only allow licensed mechanics to conduct repairs, and keep files of all maintenance tracing back at least two years; and,
- Report incidents. Some organizations have accident kits in each vehicle with a checklist of what to do after an accident. This might include who they should call, what they should say or not say, what information they should gather, etc. It might be advisable to seek legal counsel in how best for drivers to respond in the immediate aftermath of accidents.
