En Route to Safety Guidebook

How to create a

Traffic Safety Program

[ YOUR 8-STEP PLAN ]

Walk Cycle Drive

Project Background EN ROUTE TO SAFETY
GUIDEBOOK
Wilfrid Laurier University’s Safety, Health,
Environment & Risk Management (SHERM) Stephanie Kibbee
department received a grant from the
Ontario Ministry of Labour’s Occupational DIRECTOR, SHERM, WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY
Health and Safety Prevention and Innovation
Program (OHSPIP) to create the En Route EDITORIAL
to Safety program. Designed for Ontario
employers, the goal of the program is EN ROUTE TO SAFETY Andrew Good, Sarah Lamb,
to help reduce workplace motor vehicle PROJECT LEADS Janet White Bardwell
incidents and fatalities.
EDITOR Janet White Bardwell
To achieve this goal, we have developed an
employer guidebook on how to create a work- CHAPTER AUTHORS Bruce Cushing
place traffic safety program, and online Andrew Good
training for workers who drive, walk and Donna Kubica
cycle on the job. These resources can be Geoff Schwarz
found at EnRoutetoSafety.ca. Sarah Lamb
Janet White Bardwell
MISSION Kate Windsor

To help Ontario employers create EDITORIAL Christine Haywood,
traffic safety programs for their SUPPORT TEAM Donna Kubica, Philip Teskey,
workplaces with the goal of reducing
motor vehicle incidents, injuries and Cindy Schmidt, Geoff Schwarz
fatalities, and to offer free employee
training to all employers regardless DESIGN
of size, budget or business sector.
BRAND AND Vicki Wasylycia
GUIDE DESIGNER

Disclaimer for Use

The material contained in this guidebook is for infor-
mation and reference purposes only and not intended
as legal or professional advice. The implementation
of the practices described in this guidebook may
not meet the needs, requirements or obligations of
individual workplaces. Use, reproduction and dupli-
cation of this guidebook is permitted and encouraged.

The En Route to Safety program was made possible
through a Province of Ontario Occupational Health,
Safety and Prevention Innovation Program (OHSPIP)
grant. The views expressed in this publication are the
views of En Route to Safety and do not necessarily
reflect those of the Province.

EN ROUTE TO SAFETY

Supporters

We would like to thank the following organizations for
supporting the En Route to Safety program by sharing
materials, knowledge or even encouraging words. Our
gratitude for caring about safer roads in Ontario!

• Brantford Business Improvement Association
• Brantford Fire Department
• Brantford Police Services
• Canadian Automobile Association
• Canadian Pro Drivers
• Canadian Society of Safety Engineers
• City of Kawartha Lakes
• City of Kitchener
• City of Niagara Falls
• City of Peterborough
• City of Waterloo
• Corporation of the City of Brantford
• Industrial Safety Trainers, Inc.
• Linamar Transportation
• Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police
• Ontario Municipal Health and Safety Representatives Association
• Ontario Provincial Police
• Reliance Home Comfort
• Safety Results Inc.
• Toronto Police Services
• Town of Caledon
• University of Waterloo
• Waterloo Region District School Board
• Waterloo Regional Police Services

Contents

How to Create a Traffic Safety Program [ YOUR 8 -S TEP PLAN ]

2 6 Step 1:
Understand Why You Need
Introduction. a Traffic Safety Program

• Project Background From fulfilling legislative
• Our Mission obligations, to keeping your
• Disclaimer for Use workers safer, a workplace
• S upporters and traffic safety program just
makes good business sense.
Contributers
14 Step 2:
Identify Your Company’s
Traffic Hazards

Recognizing the hazards your
workers could be exposed to
when driving, walking or
cycling is a crucial step towards
preventing them. Here’s where
to start.

24 Step 3:
Perform A Risk Assessment

Evaluating and measuring the
risk of each hazard you have
identified will ensure you are
dedicating resources where
they will be most effective.

4 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

32 Step 4:
Choose and Implement
Hazard Controls
With your most significant traffic
safety hazards identified and
assessed, here’s how to determine
what controls will best limit risk
and create a safer environment.

42 Step 5:
Do Your Part -
Determine Policies and Goals
Focused policies, formally
endorsed by upper management,
send the message to employees
that your traffic safety program
should be taken seriously. Here’s
how to determine what policies
to put in place to support success.

52 Step 6:
Time to Train:
What and How?
When tackling traffic safety training
at your company, consider the
En Route to Safety “Training Wheel”
approach to get you rolling.

64 Step 7:
All Aboard! Getting Buy-in
Clear communication and a plan
for avoiding potential roadblocks
will ensure employees and
management give your new traffic
safety program the green light.

74 Step 8:
Measure Your Success!
Traffic safety metrics can highlight
positive results, uncover areas for
improvement and determine where
to allocate resources. Here’s how to
decide what information to collect
and what to do with all the data.

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 5

Step 1

Understand Why

You Need a Traffic Safety Program

With benefits such as fulfilling legislative obligations and
solidifying your employees’ safety, a traffic safety program

in your workplace just makes good business sense.

F or Dream Party Décor, what began as an
ordinary furniture unload on a mild spring
Saturday in 2014, ended with one man’s tragic
death and a $100,000 Ontario Ministry of
Labour (MOL) fine for the Mississauga-based event
planning company.
According to MOL court documents, on March 22, 2014
a driver employed by Dream Party Décor was backing
up towards the loading dock of the company facility and
struck another worker, pinning him between the truck
and the loading dock edge. The worker died as a result.
In addition to the fine, Dream Party Décor was convicted
of failing to comply with section 56 of the Industrial
Establishments Regulation, which requires a signaller
to be present when the operator of a vehicle does not
have a clear view of the vehicle’s path when reversing.
This is a cautionary tale for Ontario business owners.
Have you considered how a day like this could affect your
workers, their families, not to mention your business? g

6 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

Whether employees travel to a job site, a
conference, or even a local restaurant to pick up

lunch for a client visit, you are responsible.

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 7

If you have workers who drive, walk or cycle on Walk Cycle Drive
the job, it is a topic worthy of your attention.
On that day in 2014, Dream Party Décor added Travelling for Work
to a shocking statistic: Motor Vehicle Incidents
(MVIs) are the cause almost 40% of workplace According to the Ontario
traumatic fatalities, and have remained so since Ministry of Labour
1994, according to the Ontario Workplace Safety
& Insurance Board (WSIB). What is considered
travelling for work:
Moreover, any person on the streets is poten-
tially at risk. According to Ontario’s Road Safety • If an employee takes a work vehicle
Annual Report, of the 483 MVI-related fatalities home in the evening for the convenience
on Ontario roads in 2016, 308 were vehicle drivers of the employer, the work time begins
and passengers, 96 were pedestrians and 15 when the employee leaves home in
were cyclists. (See “The Big Picture,” page 9 for the morning and ends when he or she
more Ontario MVI statistics.) arrives home in the evening.

While death is the most devastating MVI out- • If the employee is required to transport
come, injuries that render employees unable to other staff or supplies to or from the
work comprise the majority of incidents reported workplace or work site, time so spent
to the WSIB. In 2016 alone, 4,242 lost-time claims must be counted as work time.
involving MVIs were logged.
• If the employee has a usual workplace
Small businesses (with less than 50 employees) but is required to travel to another
are significantly more vulnerable to workplace location to perform work, the time
fatalities in all categories. According to the MOL, travelling to and from that other
small businesses employ about 30% of Ontario location is counted as work time.
workers, but they account for almost 51% of all
workplace fatalities. In fact, from 2006 to 2015, • Time spent travelling during the course
small businesses accounted for 63.5% of all of the workday is considered work time.
workplace traumatic fatalities.
What is not considered
What is Your Responsibility? travelling for work:

Getting workers home safely at the end of the • For the purposes of the Employment
day is the most compelling reason to create a Standards Act (ESA), commuting time,
safer workplace. Results such as fewer lost-time which is the time it takes an employee
days and decreased damage to equipment to get to work from home and vice-versa
means your efforts make good business sense. is not counted as work time.

As a responsible employer, what can you do to Source: Ontario Ministry of Labour
avoid adding to the MVI statistics and prevent
MOL penalties? Lots, actually! But first, let’s
outline what you are required to do.

Under Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety
Act (OHSA):

“Employers are required to take every reason-
able precaution to protect workers, and provide
information, instruction and supervision to
protect worker health and safety.” g

8 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

The Big Picture:

ONTARIO MVIs — WHO, WHAT, WHEN?

The 2016 Ontario Road Safety Annual Report reveals what is happening
on the roads your occupational travellers call their workplace.

WHO? Drivers 226 8 Other Road Users
15 Bicyclists
Everyone
is affected: 56 Motorcyclists

In 2016, there were
483 fatalities in Ontario
due to motor vehicle incidents

Pedestrians 96 82 Passengers

WHAT? Fatalities: Personal Injury:

Top three initial 1. Single Motor Vehicle 1. Single Motor Vehicle
impact types: 2. Approaching 2. Rear End
3. Angle 3. Turning Movement

WHEN? JUNE SEP AUG

Top three months 3,628 3,613 3,526
for incidents:

*2016 Ontario Road Safety Annual Report En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 9

What does “taking every reasonable precaution,” What is
mean for employers whose workers drive, walk a Workplace?
or cycle on the job? For Sleep Country Canada
Inc., it meant providing correct apparel for work- The Ontario Health and
ers who make product deliveries. In 2016, the Safety Act describes a
mattress retailer was fined $60,000 by the MOL workplace as “any land,
after a worker was struck and critically injured premises, location or thing
while making a delivery in north Toronto. The at, upon, in or near which
official charge was “failing to take the reasonable
precaution of ensuring workers required to a worker works.”
direct vehicular traffic are provided with high-
visibility safety apparel.” on things they have to, what is legislated. They
don’t think there is anything they can do to pre-
In your workplace, the required precautions vent motor vehicle incidents,” he says. “But that
will be unique to your business and will depend is not true, there are lots of things employers
on who your occupational travellers are, where can do to help raise awareness.”
they travel and what duties they carry out (see
“Travelling for Work,” page 8 for details on how to Manny Sousa, owner of Canadian Pro Drivers in
identify your employees who travel on the job). Mississauga, ON, admits that when it comes to
driving in the workplace, employers often make
THE ROAD TO REASONABLE PRECAUTION assumptions that could put lives at risk. “Many
employers think that if an employee has a driver’s
Creating a workplace traffic safety program is license they know how to drive properly, but
one of the most effective ways of fulfilling your that is not always the case,” he says. “Their skills
legislative obligations and safeguarding your may be out of date or they may be required to
employees from injury or death while driving, drive a type of vehicle they have never driven
walking or cycling on the job. before, such as a van or pickup truck.”

If a traffic safety program is not something you Sousa’scompanyoffersavarietyofdrivingcourses,
have previously considered implementing, you which he says should be one part of an overall
are not alone. Randy Dignard, Founder and Pres- program and company culture that supports
ident of Industrial Safety Trainers Inc. in Barrie, traffic safety.
ON., travels to workplaces across the province
teaching Ontario workers about everything Tommy Sauve, Safety, Training and Operations
from Working at Heights and Violence in the Supervisor at the City of Cornwall, says everyone
Workplace, to Accident Investigation. Dignard wins when a structured traffic safety program
says that the focus tends to be on mandatory is created. It not only protects employees, it
and compliance safety training, but that is not can help safeguard your business if an incident
where the need ends. does occur. “Training programs, company g

“Many employers only want to provide training

Motor Vehicle Incidents are the cause of almost 40% of workplace
traumatic fatalities, and have remained the leading cause of
traumatic fatalities since 1994.

10 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

policies and procedures can go a long way What Constitutes Due Diligence?
in helping employers prove due diligence
in a court of law,” says Sauve. “A program In initiating legal action, many jurisdictions
demonstrates an employer’s commitment consider whether or not the company under
to health and safety, and encourages investigation has met its due diligence
employee participation.” obligations. Here are some of the main due
diligence requirements with respect to safety.
THE DUTY OF DUE DILIGENCE
The Basics: • Measure often
According to the Canadian Centre for • Document
Occupation Health & Safety (CCOHS), due • Say what you do
diligence is: “the level of judgement, care, • Do what you say
prudence, determination, and activity that
a person would reasonably be expected Standards You Must Meet:
to do under particular circumstances.
To exercise due diligence, an employer • Foreseeability: could a reasonable person foresee what
must implement a plan to identify possible
workplace hazards and carry out ap- went wrong?
propriate corrective action to prevent
accidents or injuries arising from hazards.” • Preventability: was there an opportunity to prevent the

In short, due diligence is the sum of injury or accident?
the steps you take before an incident
occurs to ensure worker safety. If you are • Control: did the incident happen because there was not
charged under occupational health and
safety legislation, providing proof that responsible person present who could have prevented it?
you took steps to prevent the incident Who should this person have been?
can help prevent charges and fines. g
Activities to Establish Due Diligence:

GOOD READ! • Know and understand your OH&S responsibilities
• Have a procedure for identifying and controlling hazards
sBmoaorkts • Set objectives for health and safety
• Commit the appropriate resources
Alan Quilley’s The Emperor Has No Hard Hat , • Explain employees’ responsibilities to them
Achieving Real Workplace Safety Results, is • Train employees to work safely
filled with practical and easy-to-apply • Encourage employees to report all unsafe conditions
advice. We frequently refer to this industry
classic throughout this guidebook! and practices

• Hold all employees accountable for meeting their safety

responsibilities

• Keep records of program activities and training
• Keep records of disciplinary actions related to safety
• Periodically review and improve your OH&S program

Source (with permission): The Emperor Has No Hard Hat, Achieving Real
Workplace Safety Results, by Alan Quilley

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 11

The En Route to Safety Solution While doing so, we discovered an industry with
strong feelings about traffic safety. As Bruce
Ready to tackle traffic safety in your workplace? Cushing, Senior Fleet Safety Advisor for the
The En Route to Safety program is here to help. Region of Waterloo, says: “If you have ever seen
Let us be a part of your due diligence approach. a pedestrian injured or MVI fatality, you may
Our solution is twofold: First, this guidebook understand why people are so passionate about
outlines a step-by-step plan for creating a traffic this topic.”
safety program. Second, we have created three
online employee training modules for your Dignard says the impact of worker MVI injuries
workers who drive, walk or cycle on the job. and fatalities on business owners themselves
can be shattering. “I accompanied an employer
Incorporating the guidebook’s ideas and strat- to an employee’s house four hours after the
egies into your workplace, together with having worker was killed in a motor vehicle accident,”
your employees complete the training modules, says Dignard. “He was so emotional that he could
demonstrates a commitment to safety - and not face the family. I had to drive him home—he
provides the records to document it. was in no condition to drive. It was devastating.”

What to Expect From This Guide Three reoccurring themes surfaced. First,
when creating traffic safety initiatives, there is
How to Create a Traffic Safety Program—Your no need to re-invent the wheel. Connect with
8-Step Plan, outlines standard health and safety industry colleagues and associations for a
processes such as hazard identification and wealth of support and ideas. When in doubt,
risk assessment. Then we take you a few steps reach out!
farther by teaching you how to determine safety
policies and goals, training ideas and strategies, Second, before you begin, decide what you want
how to get your company onboard, and how to to achieve. Do you want to reduce MVIs? Improve
measure your success. your workplace’s safety culture? Eliminate
distracted driving? All of the above? Take time
The guide was written with a specific reader in to define your goals, describe what success will
mind: Ontario business owners who may not look like, and how it will be measured.
have a formal health and safety background,
and may not even have a dedicated health Third, you don’t have to create a complex
and safety employee on staff. The focus is on program all at once. Even small steps, if headed
making health and safety program theories and in the right direction, will make a difference.
structures easy to understand and apply.
And, congratulations, you have just taken your
Keeping in mind that it’s always interesting and first step: you now understand why you need a
effective to learn from others’ experiences, we traffic safety program. Now it’s time to take your
spoke with health and safety professionals and
employers who shared strategies and tips. next steps towards a safer workplace. i

You don’t have to create a complex program all at once. Even small
steps, if headed in the right direction, will make a difference.

12 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

OUR HELPERS, WITH THANKS

When tackling this guidebook, we knew we would need the help of industry professionals who have
created, and assisted in creating, traffic safety programs and initiatives. We had a great response from
the Ontario health and safety community when we reached out for their input, and we have included
many of their words of advice, expertise and experiences throughout the guidebook.

Special thanks to these individuals who went out of their way to help make this project happen, and
whose words you will see throughout this guidebook:

· Alan Quilley, Safety Results Ltd. · Kate Windsor, University of Waterloo
· Bruce Cushing, Region of Waterloo · Manny Sousa, Canadian Pro Drivers
· Chief Bryan Larkin, Waterloo Regional Police Service · Michelle Drew, Linamar Transportation
· Chuck Pettinger, Predictive Solutions Corporation · Nadine Dunlop, County of Brant (formerly)
· Dale Longstreet, City of Brantford · Randy Dignard, Industrial Safety Trainers Inc.
· Dan Columbus, Westcan Bulk Transportation · Slafka Faitz, Reliance Home Comfort
· Dr. Louis Francescutti, Royal Alexandria Hospital · Staff Sergeant Michael Hinsperger,
· Glen Walker, Town of Whitby
Waterloo Regional Police Service
· Tommy Sauve, City of Cornwall

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 13

Step 2

Identify

Your Company’s Traffic Hazards

Recognizing the occupational travel hazards your workers
are exposed to when driving, walking or cycling

for work is the first step towards preventing them.

A s a responsible supervisor or business
owner, you have a duty to understand
and control potential safety hazards in
your workplace.
A traditional hazard identification process would
start with a workplace inspection. For your
occupational travellers, however, the streets are
their workplace. And while identifying the potential
traffic hazards employees face even before leaving
the worksite is important, the hazards they will
encounter when away from your four walls are
perhaps the most dangerous and often most difficult
to recognize.
If you are identifying workplace traffic safety
hazards for the first time, good for you! Establishing
a solid inventory of hazards workers may face
when driving, cycling or walking on the job paves
the way for a traffic safety program that will keep
your employees safer, limit your workplace traffic
incidents and fulfil your employer due diligence
responsibilities. g

14 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

A traditional hazard identification process would start
with a workplace inspection. For your occupational
travellers, however, the streets are their workplace.

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 15

It may seem like a big task, especially if you have 3. Has knowledge of any potential or actual
a diverse range of employees who are out-and- danger to health or safety in the workplace.
about on a daily basis, but it doesn’t have to be
difficult. Let’s take a look at where you should As well, according to the act, every employer
start your hazard identification process, and must appoint competent people as supervisors.
review the three main hazard categories and Staff who are around hazards and performing
some examples within each category. Once you tasks on a regular basis will be a valuable resource.
have a sense of these basics, the hazards your When it comes to the hazard identification
specific workers may face will become clearer, process, your smartest course of action will be
and you will be well on the way to your own to make it as inclusive as possible. Establishing
comprehensive inventory of potential hazards. a working group tasked with identifying hazards
will provide additional insight and knowledge,
Then, once you have created a catalogue of haz- and may even speed up the process.
ards, you can perform a formal risk assessment
to prioritize which hazards should be your top MINING YOUR HISTORY
priorities. (Don’t worry, Step 3 on page 24 will lead
you through your formal risk assessment process!) Once you have gathered your hazard identifica-
tion group, the best way to start your process is
COMPETENCY COUNTS to dig into the past. g

But first things first. Hazard identification
requires an understanding of the work that takes
place in your organization, as well as an ongo-
ing assessment and evaluation of the potential
hazards as they relate to work. This process
requires competence.

A competent person, as defined in the Occupational
Health and Safety Act (OHSA) is someone who:

1. Is qualified—because of knowledge, training
and experience—to organize the work and its
performance;

2. Is familiar with the OHSA and the regulations
that apply to the work; and

What is a Hazard?

A safety hazard is any
unsafe working condition,
danger, or risk that has the
potential to cause injury,

illness or death.

16 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

Your company’s previous incidents and near- CREATING A PAST
misses (which are documented “close calls”
or narrowly avoided incidents) can point to If you don’t currently document
your most crucial hazards. Previous records or workplace incident statistics, now
reports can reveal what could go wrong in the is a great time to start. Check out
future. These may include: “Step 8 — Measure Your Success”
on page 74 for more on how to
• Vehicle maintenance; track statistics that produce
meaningful metrics.
• Employee decision-making behaviours or
history;

• Training or unfamiliarity with equipment;

• P hysical, environmental, weather conditions; or

• Fatigue or mental preparedness;

Also, review worker comments, feedback
and concerns—do they highlight obvious (or
even not-so-obvious) hazards that should be
addressed? Reaching out to your workforce
can be an effective way to best identify traffic
hazards—who better to know what could
possibly go wrong than the workers doing the
job every day? Information can be shared in
meetings, surveys, suggestion boxes, or direct
contact with supervisors or your Joint Health and
Safety Committee.

REMEMBER:

Your incident review committee
process can also reveal hazards.

See “After the Fact: Incident
Review Committee Best Practices,”

page 39, for tips on making
your committee strong
and useful.

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 17

Simply put, examining
all angles will give you

the best picture
of traffic safety in
your organization.

The Big Three —
Hazard Categories

Occupational hazards generally fall into three categories: at the worker, at
the equipment and in the environment. Identifying hazards using these
categories creates a systematic approach to a complete analysis. Simply
put, examining all angles will give you the best picture of traffic safety in
your organization. Here are some details of each category.

18 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

1 HAZARDS: AT THE WORKER REMEMBER:

Your employees, and the decisions they make Any worker who travels
on the job, will have a significant impact on for work is an employer’s
traffic-related incidents at your company. As responsibility. If you are instructing
an employer you need to be able to identify a worker to navigate to a job site,
common at-risk behaviours or gaps in skill or
knowledge that could potentially impact a work- conference, or just to
er’s ability to navigate their work environment pick up coffee for a meeting,
safely. Not all positions at your organization will
have equal exposure to traffic-related hazards, you are responsible
so your first step is to identify the employees for their safety.
who drive, cycle or walk for work. These are
your occupational travellers.

Your occupational traveller inventory should
include:

1. Workers who drive company vehicles.

2. Workers who drive their own vehicles and
claim mileage.

3. Workers who cycle or walk during the course
of work.

4. Workers who drive, cycle or walk to perform
work errands or tasks outside of the walls of
your organization.

Once you have created your inventory of
occupational travellers, document the types
of hazards they are exposed to and hazardous
behaviours that could put them at risk. List all
duties that involve travel and the environments
in which they travel. These workers or groups
of workers—and the work they do—will be your
focus during this hazard identification process.

Here is a simple example of an Occupational
Traveller Identification Chart:

WORKER MODE OF TRANSPORT ENVIRONMENT
John Doe (Bike Courier)
Biking, Walking Heavy Traffic Environment, Downtown

Jane Doe Driving, Walking Rural Highways, Some Inner City Driving
and Walking
(Regional Maintenance Technician)

Emily Walker (Sales Professional) Driving, Walking Highways, Inner City Driving and Walking

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 19

Finding the Gaps Other Training Gaps

Now that you have identified your occupational Based on the type of work your employees do
travellers, next determine if they have the skills that involves travel, you may have also identified
and abilities to navigate their work environment other knowledge gaps that could prevent them
safely and are aware of the hazards involved. from making safe and educated decisions. By
creating an inventory of your workers’ tasks,
Before travel, workers need to know about the and performing a risk assessment, you will
risks involved and how to mitigate them. The be able to identify potential gaps that can be
following gaps highlight potential risk areas for addressed with worker training.
your organization.

Training and Licensing WORKER HEALTH HAZARDS:
Before employees travel for work, they must
have the required licensing or training. Depend- Pre-Existing Conditions
ing on the type of work and travel they do, you
will need to determine any requirements that Before your workers get behind the wheel,
will keep them safe, in addition to meeting the handlebars, or travel by foot, it is critical that
applicable regulatory requirements. you identify pre-existing conditions which could
If driving, of course all drivers must possess a create hazards and affect their safe travel. If a
valid driver’s license for the class of vehicle they worker discloses a pre-existing condition that
are required to drive. The types of licensing your could affect their safety or the safety of others,
workers require will vary based on vehicle type. you need to accommodate the worker and
Other than licensing, there may be additional provide restrictions to reduce any risks associated
training requirements surrounding the safe with travel.
operation of vehicles and the transportation of
dangerous goods. Fatigue and Ergonomics

A WORKER’S RIGHT For workers to travel safely they need to be alert
TO KNOW and rested. Long travel shifts, or long work shifts
followed by travel can result in reduced ability
Ask these questions when determining to identify hazards and operate equipment.
if workers have the information they When looking at your working groups, identify
need about hazards: workers who:

• Are my workers trained? • Perform labour intensive work

• Do my workers have enough experience? • Work longer shifts

• Are my workers aware of all potential • Rotate shifts
hazards and risks?
Workers who have not been given adequate time
• Have they demonstrated they can to rest could be in danger of being pushed past
conduct themselves in a safe manner? their limits. Determine which of your workers
may be at risk in high-demand tasks and then
document and control as needed.

In addition to fatigue, it would be wise to identify
potential hazards that could result in musculo-
skeletal disorders (MSDs). If you have workers
biking, driving, or carrying heavy loads while
travelling, take a closer look at potential
ergonomic hazards. g

20 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

2 HAZARDS AT THE EQUIPMENT Ensure vehicles are properly maintained at suit-
able intervals. Drivers should also perform daily
If your workers use company-owned equipment, checks using criteria you provide to them. Your
it is your responsibility to keep it maintained workers should be familiar with the key safety
and in working order. Equipment that is not functions of all vehicles they operate. Bikes,
properly maintained can put your workforce cars, trucks and any other vehicles operated by
at risk. In fact, it is your responsibility as an your workers will come with a manual to help
employer to understand any potential hazards them familiarize themselves with the equipment.
surrounding your equipment, or equipment used These manuals will also help them identify
by your workers. key safety functions of the vehicle and how to
operate and maintain them.
Vehicle Selection and Maintenance
To ensure that your vehicles’ warranties remain
The safest type of vehicle is one most suited valid, it is important to follow the manufacturers’
for the job. Therefore, to ensure the safety servicing schedule and conditions. Generally,
of drivers, workers and public, choosing the servicing is performed after a prescribed period
right types of vehicles for the intended function of time or mileage interval, and is carried out by
is important. No matter how skilled your trained and qualified technicians.
drivers are, they will not be safe unless the
vehicle is in good working condition. Below are some examples of critical functions
that, if not maintained, could create hazards: g

CRITICAL MAINTENANCE FUNCTION EXAMPLES

ROAD VEHICLES BICYCLES

Lights/Reflectors Lights/Reflectors
Mirrors Brake Cables
Wiper Blades Brake Levers
Windshield/Windows Brake Blocks
Locks/Alarm System Wheel Alignment
Wheels and Fasteners Tire Tread/Pressure
Tire Condition/Pressure Clean/Maintained Chain
Exhaust System Gear/Shifter Function
Suspension Pedal, Crank, Handlebar Bearings
Fuel System/Leaks/Gauge Frame Condition
Engine Oil Level
Windshield Washer Fluid
Steering System
Horn
Seat Belts
Defroster/Heater
Parking Brake
4-Wheel Drive System

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 21

3 HAZARDS: IN THE ENVIRONMENT • T raffic control. Is traffic controlled in all
high-speed areas?
Once you have identified hazards at the worker
and at the equipment, now take a bigger picture • P arking and storage. Does your premise
look at your occupational travellers’ overall sur- have enough parking or bike storage?
roundings. Evaluate—in a general way—where
your workers travel. Think about the conditions • D ebris and refuse. Is on-site trash creating
along their journey and the impact these could a hazard?
have on their safety. An understanding of the
environment in which your workers travel will Off-Site Hazards
allow you to identify the key hazards to which When drivers are on public roads, they may be
your workers may be exposed. You can decrease faced with different types of traffic conditions.
the impact of these hazards by implementing However, some of these road conditions are be-
controls. Here are some examples to get you yond the drivers’ control. Examples include faulty
thinking about what hazards they may encounter. traffic lights, road construction and closure,
other drivers’ choices, and pedestrian or cyclist
On-Site Hazards actions. Consider the types of conditions your
workers may be exposed to when travelling for
Set the stage for safety before your workers work and add them to your hazard list.
leave your premises. Any space owned by your
organization needs to be evaluated. While it Violence and Harassment
may be more difficult to lobby for a new local Violence or harassment is a potential hazard
crosswalk with your municipal government, no matter the mode of transportation. It is an
issues on your own property can be more readily employer’s duty to proactively identify potential
dealt with. Start by identifying any areas where workplace scenarios where workers could
collisions could occur between vehicles and encounter violence and/or harassment. g
pedestrians, bikes and even buildings or facilities.

Here is a simple list of common on-site hazards
to get you thinking about areas on your own
property that could be hazardous:

• B lind corners in parking lots or walkways.
Does your staff have a clear line of site to
potential incoming vehicle or pedestrian traffic?

• P athways, parking lots and sidewalks.
Are there potholes or tripping hazards?

• Ice and snow. Is there buildup creating
a safety issue?

• Entryways and exits. Are they near high-
traffic areas that could be dangerous?

• Drainage. Have you taken the required
actions to keep water from pooling?

• Lighting. Is there enough lighting
to make travel areas visible?

• Right of way signage. Is there confusion
about pedestrian or vehicular right of way?

22 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

Identify any potential sources of violence or harassment Hazard Hunting
that could affect your workforce during their travel
routine. Here are some key questions to consider when The Canadian Centre for Occupational
identifying potential violence and harassment hazards Health and Safety (CCOHS) says the
when travelling: following points should be considered
to ensure all hazards are found:
DEAD
END • Look at all aspects of the work.

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE AND HARASSMENT: • Include non-routine activities such
CONSIDERATIONS FOR TRAVELLING WORKERS as maintenance, repair, or cleaning.

WORKER • Are your workers travelling alone? • Look at accident/incident/near-miss
records.
• D o you have an employee check-in
procedure? • I nclude people who work off site,
either at home, on other job sites,
• Are your workers familiar with the drivers, teleworkers, with clients, etc.
travel area?
• Look at the way the work is
• Do your workers have access or organized or done (include
means to communicate with your experience of people doing the
organization in the event of an work, systems being used, etc).
emergency?
• L ook at foreseeable unusual condi-
• Are your workers transporting tions (for example, possible impact
money or goods that could poten- on hazard control procedures that
tially attract unwanted attention? may be unavailable in an emergency,
power outage, etc.).
TRAVEL PATH • A re businesses with higher violence
risk located nearby? • Determine whether a product,
machine or equipment can be
• I s the workplace located in a dense intentionally or unintentionally
manufacturing area? changed (e.g., a safety guard
that could be removed).
• Is the site in a high-crime area?
• R eview all of the phases of
• Is the site isolated? the lifecycle.

• I s the area heavily travelled • Examine risks to visitors
by the public? or the public.

• A re your workers travelling during • Consider the groups of people
off-hours? that may have different levels
of risk, such as young or
• D oes the travel path have adequate inexperienced workers, or
persons with varying abilities.
lighting? j
Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health
and Safety

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 23

Step 3

Perform

A Risk Assessment

Evaluating and measuring the risk of each hazard
you have identified will ensure you are dedicating

resources where they will be most effective.

B y now you likely have a list of potential traffic
safety hazards specific to your occupational
travellers’ work environment. The next step
is to perform a risk assessment.
In the world of occupational safety, a hazard and
a risk are two very different things: a hazard is the
source of potential danger, and a risk is the chance
or probability a person will be harmed if exposed to
a hazard.
A risk assessment, therefore, is a system of evaluating
the likelihood that a hazard will cause injury, incident
or property damage, and the severity of that harm.
Simply put, what are the chances that X will happen,
and if it did, how bad would it be?
Sounds relatively straightforward, but how is it
actually done? Let’s go through the risk assessment
process together to understand how to analyze
your hazards, rank their significance and determine
which hazards require a control program (then
head to Step 4 on page 32 for the scoop on how
to choose and implement hazard controls). g

24 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

Ranking hazards requires the knowledge of
workplace activities, urgency of situations, and

most importantly, objective judgement.

—Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 25

RISKY BUSINESS ASSIGN A RISK RATING

Accurately assessing risk can be considered 1 AND POPULATE THE RISK
both an art and a science There is no cook-
ie-cutter solution. According to the Canadian ASSESSMENT TOOL
Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
(CCOHS): “There is not one simple or single way to Let’s go through this process using an example
determine the level of risk. Nor will a single tech- hazard, such as a “collision with another vehicle,
nique apply in all situations. The organization has pedestrian or cyclist.”
to determine which technique will work best for
each situation. Ranking hazards requires knowl- The Severity/Probability Matrix (page 27) uses a
edge of workplace activities, urgency of situations simple calculation: Severity x Probability = Risk.
and, most importantly, objective judgement.” Using the matrix legend, let’s assign a letter
value and a number value to this hazard. In
Who should perform your risk assessments? The terms of severity, a collision could definitely
CCOHS says risk assessments should be done by cause death, so let’s give it a Level 1 Severity
a competent person or team of individuals who (Catastrophic). When it comes to the probability
have a good working knowledge of the situation. of a collision occurring, let’s assign a value of
“Include, either on the team or as sources of C—not likely to occur, but possible. Connecting
information, the supervisors and workers who these two ratings in the grid, you can see this
work with the process under review as these indi- hazard has a risk rating of High.
viduals are the most familiar with the operation.”
This is a simplified example but illustrates that,
In a perfect world, employers would control when broken down into pieces, it is possible to
all hazards. That may not be possible, but prioritize which hazards and outcomes could
establishing a solid risk assessment process will result in the greatest loss, and are therefore
ensure you allocate resources where they will be the most important to control. Remember, each
most effective. workplace is different. Thorough research and
input from a broad range of knowledgeable staff
To start, let’s structure you for success by members will create the most accurate assess-
introducing two well-known health and safety ment of each hazard.
tools that will organize and streamline your
risk-identification process: Now, populate all your potential hazards into
the first column of the Risk Assessment Tool
• A Severity/Probability Matrix (see example, page 28). Depending on the size
and diversity of your company, it is usually most
• A Risk Assessment Tool practical to conduct a separate risk assessment
for each position having distinct traffic safety
The five steps that follow illustrate how to use risks. Using the matrix, assign risk ratings to
these tools systematically to reveal what needs these hazards and populate them into the
the greatest attention in your workplace. second column of the Risk Assessment Tool. g

Hazard Risk:

Any source of potential damage, The chance or probability
harm or adverse health effects a person will be harmed
on something or someone. or experience an adverse
health effect if exposed

to a hazard.

26 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

Severity/Probability Matrix How Harmful
is this Hazard?
LEVELS OF LEVELS OF
SEVERITY PROBABILITY

1. Catastrophic. May A. Likely to occur When determining each hazard’s
result in death. immediately or in a level of risk, consider researching:
short period of time,
2. Critical. May cause expected to occur • Product information/manufacturer
severe injury, major frequently. documentation.
property damage,
significant financial B. Quite likely to occur • Past experience (knowledge from
loss, and/or result in in time. workers, etc.).
negative publicity.
C. Not likely to occur, • Legislated requirements and/or
3. Marginal. May cause but possible. applicable standards.
minor injury, proper-
ty damage, financial D. Unlikely to occur. • Industry codes of practice.
loss, and/or result in • Health and safety material about
negative publicity.
the hazard such as safety data
4. Negligible. Hazard sheets (SDSs), research studies, or
presents a mini- other manufacturer information.
mal threat to the • The expertise of an occupational
health, safety and/ health and safety professional.
or well-being of the • Information about previous
participant. injuries, illnesses, near misses,
incident reports, etc.
PROBABILITY IT WILL OCCUR • Observation of the process or task.

A B CD Factors that contribute to risk level:
Likely Possible Unlikely
Very • The work environment (layout,
Likely condition, etc.).

1 • The systems of work being used.
• The range of foreseeable conditions.
H H H MCatastrophic • How often and how much

SEVERITY OF RISK 2 a person will be exposed.
• The interaction, capability, skill,
H H M MCritical
experience of workers who do
3 the work.

H M M LMarginal Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational
Health and Safety
4

M L L LNegligible

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 27

2 IDENTIFY CONTROLS IN PLACE • Have any incidents occurred since the proce-
AND NOT IN PLACE dure was implemented and was the procedure
reviewed as part of an incident investigation?
In addition to identifying potential controls
that are not in place yet, it is very important to
critically evaluate what controls are in place and
whether they are actually effectively managing
the hazard. Some questions to ask are:

• Is there a policy or procedure that establishes
the control?

• Have all employees received training on the
control measure?

• Is the control working?

For example, if you have identified that a 3 FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS FOR
“Backing up procedure” is a control to reduce the CONTROLS NOT IN PLACE
likelihood of collisions when drivers are back-
ing up, ask yourself the following questions to In this step, list the actions your company needs
evaluate whether a control is in place: to take to implement each control, including
improving those that are in place but not
• Is there a written procedure? effective. In each step, be specific about what the
actions are—for some controls, there may be
• Have all drivers who perform this task several actions needed. Consider what financial,
received training on the procedure and human and technological resources will be
practical instruction and evaluation? required to implement the control.

• Is the procedure evaluated periodically?

Risk 1 RISK EVALUATION 2

Assessment HAZARD CONTROLS

Tool Diagram Collision A-C 1-4 Rating Driver licensing
with vehicle Defensive driving course
Go to the Resources C1H
section at cyclist or Seatbelt use
pedestrian
enroutetos afet y.c a Distracted driving policy
for a sample Preventative maintenance

Risk Assessment Tool Backing up procedure
you can print and use!

28 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

4 ASSIGN A PRIORITY TO ACTIONS 5 ASSIGN RESPONSIBILITY AND
DESIRED COMPLETION DATE
Next, determine the priority of each risk. There
are many factors to take into consideration here. Lastly, determine who will be responsible for
Whenever possible, use objective measures to carrying out the corrective action and when it
aid in decision-making. Some factors to consider will be completed. In this final column, be sure
in assigning priority are: to list people who have adequate authority and
accountability. Timelines must be reasonable
• Repercussions—the legal or regulatory risk for the complexity of the proposed solution,
arising from an incident or non-compliance. and may require multiple deadlines to allow for
completion of steps.
• Return on investment—the cost of the control
versus expected reduction in direct and Kate Windsor is Director of Safety at the University of Waterloo
indirect costs of injury and property damage. in Waterloo, ON.
This includes worker’s compensation claims
cost, lost productivity, replacement costs, etc.

• Ease of implementation—if it’s easy to fix, do
it! Also, low cost/low effort controls may not
completely eliminate the hazard, but can mit-
igate risk temporarily while longer-term solu-
tions are developed. Workers can be a great
source of practical, low-cost solutions to make
their jobs safer.

• Resources needed to implement the control—
examples include financial resources, subject
matter expertise, etc.

3 4 5

IN PLACE FOLLOW-UP PRIORITY PERSON RESPONSIBLE/DATE
ACTIONS
( Yes / No ) Operations Manager
Yes Review procedures Med CEO
No
Request budget for course High Human Resources
Yes Operations Manager
Plan refresher Med Operations Manager
No awareness campaign High Operations Manager
Yes Low
Develop policy and High
No train all employees

Review procedure

Develop procedure,
train employees and
monitor compliance

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 29

* Cool Idea!

PROGRAM POINTER RISK ASSESSMENT
AT THE WORKER
RISK ASSESSMENT REVIEW
Assess risk, and repeat frequently Systemic practices of risk assessment and
control are the responsibility of manage-
Risk Assessment should never be a one-time ment. However, empowering your workers
project. Effective safety programs review risks to identify and address hazards during
and controls as new controls are implemented, the course of their daily duties can have
on a periodic (usually annual) basis and after many benefits, especially when it comes
any incident related to the job task occurs. to traffic safety.
Re-assessment should include an evaluation
of whether the controls in place are successful. Called a Last-Minute Risk Assessment
(LMRA), this tool could work very well in a
What to traffic safety program. This type of mental
tackle first? risk assessment allows workers take a
moment to stop and think before their
route or task starts to identify hazards
and the controls in place. An effective
LMRA does not need to be recorded, and
in fact may be more effective when it is
ingrained as a behaviour rather than a
task. Train workers to ask:

• What is my next task?

• What are the risks?

• What can I do to protect myself and
make sure I don’t get hurt or hurt those
around me?

• Is my mind engaged and do I have a
“safety first” attitude?

Depending the type of work environment,
introduce specific questions that target
traffic-related hazards such as fatigue,
weather and traffic conditions, delivery
location issues, route management and
distracted driving.

It’s a mistake to tackle too much at once. Trying to do everything at once dilutes the
importance of all of it. People don’t know what’s important, because there are
no priorities. All you will accomplish is to overwhelm and confuse everyone. So let
everyone help choose the top three or the top one, or whatever you have resources for.

Excerpt from: The Emperor Has No Hard Hat, Achieving Real Workplace Safety Results, by Alan Quilley

30 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

1

Risk Assessment 2
Roadmap

Five tips to ensure your risk-assessment route
takes you where you want to go.

Think Beyond the Form. Risk assessment forms Tell Your Workforce. It’s good 3
are the foundation of your corporate safety practice to involve your workers in
strategy, but correctly  filled-out forms are just the assessment process, but even 4
records. The key to a good risk assessment is if you don’t, it’s a legal requirement 5
to make an informed, systematic judgement to inform them of the outcomes. Be
about potential hazards, and whether you have ready for an inspector or auditor to
the right precautions in place to reduce risks to ask for an assessment—and also to
the minimum. The form is just the record that check a sample of affected workers
you’ve done this. to see what they know about it. Even
if your documentation is thorough,
Concentrate on Highest Risk. Devote the most you’ll be faulted if your employees
attention and depth to your greatest risks; these know nothing about the outcomes.
will not necessarily be the same as your core
activities. It’s easy to leave out vital support Take Your Own Recommendations.
activities such as transport, war housing and A recommendation in an official
maintenance. But since these could involve company document that no one has
hazards such as being hit by a  vehicle, they acted on is a liability time-bomb. All
could actually be the highest risks. Consider risk assessments draw conclusions
contractors, visitors and members of the public; with two possible outcomes, either:
your assessment must cover anyone who is the control is OK and current
affected, not just your employees. precautions should be maintained,
or the precautions need improving.
Consider all Foreseeable Risks. Assessments Either way, action is required, even if
often assume everything is operating as it should. it is just to make sure what you are
The requirement is to consider all foreseeable currently doing remains effective.
risks, not just those of normal  operation. If you have assessments that contain
Dealing with these can be high risk, and in the recommendations no one has ever
pressure of the moment it’s all too easy for implemented, they are ready-made
people  to put themselves and their colleagues negligence claims if something
in danger. Ask your employees to help—they, happens.
better than anyone else, can tell you what can go
wrong. Ensure procedures cover night shifts and Source: Adapted from (with permission):
weekends when fewer people may be available Wilkins Safety Group “Common Risk Assessment
to help in an emergency. Mistakes” 2016.

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 31

Step 4

Choose and Implement

Hazard Controls

With your most significant traffic safety hazards identified
and assessed, here’s how to determine what controls will best

limit risk and create a safer workplace.

O nce you have successfully assessed and
ranked key traffic hazards related to
your occupational travellers, it’s time to
develop and implement controls that
will guard your workers against accident or injury.
Simply put, a control is any action taken to mitigate
or lower the risk associated with a work task.
Certainly, applying controls to work activities that
involve travel outside your company walls can be
challenging. Traffic hazards are often dynamic and
unpredictable. As an employer, how is it possible
to control city road and sidewalk conditions? Or
weather conditions? Not to mention the actions and
behaviours of other people on the road?
The solution is to shift your focus to what you can
control. A winter storm, for example, may not be pre-
ventable, but hiring a delivery service to distribute your
products would eliminate the use of your company’s
vehicles—hazard controlled! While you cannot control
the actions of other drivers on the road, you can
train your employees to recognize risky behaviours
and to avoid potentially dangerous situations. g

32 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

Applying controls to work activities that involve
travel outside your company walls can be challenging.
Traffic hazards are often dynamic and unpredictable.

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 33

These are both specific types of controls. This Remember:
chapter will help navigate you through the types
of controls you can implement, how each type is Elimination is
effective, and how to ensure your chosen controls the best way
and safety programs are growing and improving.
to control
CONTROLS: THE BASICS hazards.

In workplace health and safety, there is a classifi-
cation structure called the Hierarchy of Controls
(see diagram page 35). As you can see, controls fit
into five categories: Elimination, Substitution, En-
gineering, Administrative, and Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE). Here’s what you need to know
about each one.

Elimination Substitution

Elimination controls sit at the top tier and are When elimination is not realistic, the next best
the gold standard in health and safety. If a haz- solution in the Hierarchy of Controls is Sub-
ard and its associated risks can be eliminated— stitution. This control replaces one hazardous
how much safer can it get? The previous example substance or process with a safer option. An
about using a shipping company instead of deliv- example could include substituting a delivery car
ering goods using your own company vehicles is for a delivery truck in the winter months, which
an example of an elimination control. Your work- would offer more stable navigation on rural roads.
ers will not be on the roads, so the harzards sur- When substituting, however, it is important to
rounding driving a vehicle are taken away. make sure you are not just trading one hazard for
another. The goal of substitution is to introduce
Getting rid of a hazardous job, tool, process, a safer option. While there may be some risks as-
machine or substance is the best way to protect sociated with the substitution, ensure that they
workers. If you are able to eliminate a hazardous are significantly less than the original.
process or activity without affecting your organi-
zation’s operations, you have not only impacted Engineering Controls
worker safety, but you have also potentially cre-
ated cost-savings. Engineering controls should be your next course
of action. These controls address the hazard
But to be realistic, eliminating all hazards in your at the source and are often the most difficult
workplace is just not possible. and costly to implement. Engineering controls
may have a higher upfront cost, but are typical-
What is a Control? ly more cost effective in the long term because
they isolate the hazard at the source and do
Any action taken to not tend to rely on worker decision-making. Tak-
mitigate or lower the ing the human element out of a protective factor
risk associated with helps eliminate errors that can result in injuries or
damage to equipment.
a work task.

34 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

Here are a few types of engineering 2. Isolation. Hazards can sometimes be isolat-
controls: ed through containment or enclosure. Installing a
barrier between a passenger and a taxi driver in
1. Redesign. Hazards can sometimes be “engi- order to reduce the outcome of a violent encoun-
neered out” through redesign of the work site, ter is an example of an isolation control. Another
workstations, work processes and jobs. An exam- example could be to have workers use vehicles
ple could include transferring nighttime delivery instead of travelling by foot or bicycle. A vehicle
routes to the daytime, to eliminate the risk of vi- would offer greater security and limit interaction
olence and harassment hazards at night. Anoth- with other pedestrians.
er example could be purchasing larger delivery
trucks in order to carry larger loads, which would 3. Automation. Some processes can be auto-
limit the number of trips your workers need to mated or mechanized. An example could include
take and limit exposure to hazards they encoun- a paper delivery service that accepts electron-
ter while travelling. ic payments online, thereby reducing the risks
posed by door-to-door collection.

The time, effort and resources required when controlling a hazard should be taken
into consideration. See Step 3 on page 24 to learn how a risk assessment can help you
determine where your efforts will yield the most effective results.

Most Hierarchy of Controls Physically remove
Effective the hazard
Elimination
Least
Effective Substitution Replace
the hazard

Engineering Isolate people
Controls from the hazard

Administrative Change the way
Controls people work

PPE Protect the worker with
Personal Protective Equipment

Source: National Institute for Occupational Health & Safety

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 35

Administrative Controls of long-term goals. (Check out “Do Your Part:
Determine Policies and Goals,” page 42.)
Administrative controls are the policies, operat-
ing procedures and practices that describe the A procedure is more concrete—it is an estab-
way your workers should be travelling. These are lished method for performing a task which
the “workplace rules” you set for your workers includes a series of steps that when followed
that are designed to keep them safe. An example reduce a worker’s exposure to a hazard.
would be a procedure that dictates when a
worker can use a cellphone in order to reduce Procedures should be developed for routine
the risk of distracted driving. Keep in mind, tasks that expose your workers to some type of
an administrative control can be less effective hazard. Safe job procedures are usually devel-
than an engineering control because the human oped by supervisors and workers as a result of a
factor is still there: the worker must comply with hazard assessment, accident investigation and/
the policy, procedure or practice to avoid the or as a supplement to a safe work practice. It is
hazard. important that supervisors are properly trained
to continuously evaluate their workers’ adher-
Here are some common administrative controls: ence to established policies. While workers may
need correction from time to time, your super-
1. Education and Training visors need to be completely competent in their
ability to spot and correct at-risk behaviours.
Teaching employees to work safely is a core
component of a comprehensive workplace The field of occupational safety is growing, and
health and safety program. Training must cover your policies and procedures need to keep up
not only how to work safely, but must also with new developments. Stay on top of your spe-
ensure that workers understand the hazards cific industry’s standards as well as standards g
and risks of their job. When it comes to traffic
hazards, you will find that this control is one
of the more effective administrative solutions
to reduce exposure. There are innate hazards
related to travel that are difficult to address
using engineering controls, so training your
workers to make smart decisions and follow
safety protocols will empower them to make
appropriate decisions while travelling on the job.
(See “Time to Train - What and How,” on page 52,
for lots of effective training strategies.)

2. Policies and Procedures

A policy is a set of principles and associated
guidelines formulated and enforced by an orga-
nization to direct and limit its actions in pursuit

An administrative control can be less effective than an engineering
control because the human factor is still there.

36 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

No Need Photo courtesy of Rob Massey, The Guelph Tribune
for Speed

ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROL IN ACTION

The tragic death of a Guelph, ON police officer sparked the creation of a
cutting-edge speed control program at the Waterloo Regional Police Service.
Is speed a hazard worth controlling in your workplace?

On March 14, 2013, Guelph, ON Police Const. Speed was identified as a traffic safety hazard,
Jennifer Kovach died after her vehicle slid into and an administrative control was put in place.
a bus’s path as she responded to a colleague’s
call for assistance. At a news conference in July Telematics equipment, which measures vehi-
2013 to announce the findings of an investiga- cle speed, was installed in each police cruiser.
tion into her death, Police Chief Bryan Larkin Vehicle reports are delivered to WRPS leaders
(Guelph Chief of Police at the time) revealed daily to advise when an officer exceeds the
that after ruling out driver distraction and me- threshold. “These reports are followed up with
chanical failure, they concluded that speed was one-on-one reviews with members involved,”
the primary factor in the collision. says Larkin. “A process to review each scenar-
io is in place to ensure consistency, including
According to the Highway Traffic Act, on-duty advanced training if required. The intention is
officers are allowed to speed while responding education, compliance and safe arrival versus a
to calls from colleagues or the public, but how discipline approach.”
fast they go is left to their discretion.
Speed has been significantly reduced among
The findings must have made a significant WRPS vehicles. Larkin credits education and
impact on the chief, because shortly after he information-sharing for the program’s success.
was appointed Chief of Police of the Waterloo “All police officers including senior leaders par-
Regional Police Service (WRPS) a year later, ticipated in additional police vehicle operations
Larkin oversaw the launch of the WRPS Safe training,” he says. “Every police cruiser has edu-
Driving Program, which was designed to en- cational reminders in the car promoting the Safe
hance the safety of police service members, the Driving Program to reinforce that the program is
community as well as to ensure a safe arrival at aimed at controlled, calm and safe emergency
emergency service calls. response.”

“Sadly, the majority of serious workplace injuries Larkin says the program marks a significant shift
and fatalities are as a result of motor vehicle col- in culture at WRPS, built on safe arrival rather
lisions,” says Chief Larkin. “After much research than measuring response times.
and analysis surrounding collisions involving po-
lice cruisers, a program was developed using our “Initial concerns were alleviated through educa-
information technology platform, which follows a tion, ongoing dialogue and recognition that the
consistent threshold of operating police cruisers program does not inhibit emergency response
at safe speeds when responding to emergencies.” but rather promotes a safe arrival,” he says.

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 37

within the Ontario health and safety indus- *
try so your programming stays fresh and
comprehensive. PROGRAM POINTER

Developing a review schedule for your SUPPORT SYSTEM
processes and procedures will allow you
to address any deficiencies that have ENFORCING ADMINISTRATIVE
been identified. Perform a review of all CONTROLS
programs at least annually.
Administrative controls can be seen as
3. Emergency Preparedness Procedures safety rules or guidelines. With this in
Being prepared for emergencies means mind, successful implementation requires
making sure that the necessary equip- two key pieces: enforcement and a
ment and supplies are readily available, strong safety culture. Supervisors need
and that employees know what to do to understand not only the processes
when something unplanned happens. and procedures in the workplace, they
These procedures should be written and also need to enforce them. If they do not
employees should have the opportuni- enforce the rules, or hold their workers
ty to practice their emergency response accountable, risk-taking behaviours will
skills regularly. It may be helpful to deter- increase because staff will see there are
mine what type of emergency equipment no repercussions for breaking the rules.
your workers may require and incorpo-
rate these materials/equipment into a Creating a strong safety culture means
monthly vehicle inspection checklist. instilling a sense of accountability and
values around safety. If this is successfully
Personal Protective Equipment done, your staff will follow the rules, even
if the boss is not watching.
The final type of control in the Heirarchy
of Controls is Personal Protective Equip- (See “A Question of Culture,” on page 51
ment (PPE), and refers to any protective for tips on building a strong workplace
clothing or equipment put in place to pro- safety culture.)
tect a worker from injury. This is the least
preferred control method because if PPE that some equipment may have specific inspection
is required it means that the hazard is al- criteria or a set expiry date. When purchasing PPE,
ready directly at the worker and they are review the manuals provided and make note of any
simply protected by the equipment itself. special requirements. As long as you have the equip-
When it comes to traffic safety, common ment in service, be sure to keep all manuals on file
PPE would include reflective vests and and make sure employees know they are available to
clothing, helmets, glasses and gloves. review at all times.

When implementing PPE, provide your A PPE evaluation tool or checklist can be helpful
workers with appropriate training so they when performing intermittent checks on your PPE g
know how to use the equipment properly.

The effectiveness of PPE relies on proper
and consistent use. Teach your workers
how to inspect the PPE, and make sure
they know that they should be inspecting
their PPE before each use. Keep in mind

38 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

After the Fact:

INCIDENT REVIEW COMMITTEE BEST PRACTICES

Incident Review Committees come in many shapes and sizes, but all
have the same purpose: to prevent future incidents. Here are some tips
to consider when forming—or re-evaluating—yours.

1. Start with a Plan. Create a solid guiding document that specifies how the program will work, says
Bruce Cushing, Senior Fleet Safety Advisor at the Region of Waterloo in Kitchener, ON.  “Key points
to include would be: why the program exists; duties of each person involved in the process; training
requirements for each person involved in the process; how often the committee should meet; and
conflict of interest steps for committee members,” he says. 

2. Management Members? Weigh your options when deciding whether or not to include manage-
ment on your committee. The accident review committee at Linamar Transportation in Guelph, ON,
for example, is guided by management, but composed of drivers only. “We wanted an employee-
controlled process,” says HR manager Michelle Drew. “Over the years it has really fostered a feeling
of ownership among drivers to ensure they are objectively accountable for their actions.”

3. A Question of Anonymity. Should the employee be identified during the review process? Depends
on your company’s culture and desired outcomes. At the City of Brantford, the driver attends the
review.  “It gives the employee a chance to tell their side,” says Driver Trainer Dale Longstreet, whose
six-person committee is composed of members of the Health and Safety Committee and Transpor-
tation Services. At Linamar, however, the facts of the incident are presented anonymously. “We find
it just allows for a fair and unbiased analysis,” says Drew.

4. Educate Your Committee. An informed committee is an effective committee. Slafka Faitz, Supervisor,
Fleet Safety and Compliance at Reliance Home Comfort, formed a Collision Review Committee in 2013
as part of a total traffic safety program overhaul. Each committee member is required to complete
an incident review training course through a third-party. “Reviewing incidents is an important part of
preventing them,” says Faitz. “We needed to give committee members the tools to do it properly.”

5. Consider the Big Picture. Don’t pass up the chance to identify the need for a broad change. “We
strategize about whether the incident points to a larger issue,” says Longstreet. On one particular
street in the winter, for example, vehicles were clipping each others’ side mirrors as they passed
each other. “We realized the streets were not being plowed widely enough, so we mandated that the
plows widen their paths and these incidents were eliminated,” he says.

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 39

inventory. All PPE should be kept clean, in work-
ing order and stored appropriately. A level of
quality will need to be maintained to ensure
your workers are properly protected.

The PPE you purchase should also be approved
by an appropriate safety standards association.
Each type of PPE will have associated organiza-
tions that apply specific standards. If you fail to
provide your workers with the appropriate PPE,
the equipment may not offer the required pro-
tection to prevent injury.

Assess PPE carefully before purchasing and im-
plementing it as a control: depending on the
circumstances and environment in which it will
be used, could it actually be adding additional
risk to the worker? Some PPE, for example, may
block vision, reduce movement or increase the
risk of heat stress.

Remember: Each workplace is different. Analyze the work your employees do and
the associated hazards to determine which control method will best reduce risk
in your workplace.

Combining Controls: the Safest Solution Cost Concerns

Relying on just one type of control to manage a Cost is another barrier to creating your ide-
hazard may not sufficiently protect your work- al control program. This is an area where your
ers. Combining a number of controls may often risk assessment process will help. With limited
be the best solution. It may be easier to imple- funds, you will want to ensure you are spending
ment just one specific type of control, but always money in the right places. When comparing your
remember that you are not restricted to just one controls, try to explore multiple options. Identi-
method. A combination of different controls can fying a more cost-effective control that is equal-
work well. ly effective will allow you to allocate additional
funding to other parts of your safety program.
Before you begin to look at any controls to make
a task safer, always take an overall look at the Even when considering cost, the principles of
task itself. Can you completely redesign this task the Hierarchy of Controls still apply: wherever
in a way that will actually remove hazards? possible, use elimination or substitution. Engi-
neering controls can be effective at preventing
Always keep in mind that elimination should be injury, but can be costly and not practical. Ad-
your first plan of attack against hazards. If you ministrative controls should then be considered,
can redesign any task to remove a hazard you followed by—as a last resort—PPE.
will save time, money, and potential injury.

40 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

Evaluating
Controls

Much like evaluating potential hazards in your workplace, evaluating
the effectiveness of the controls you put in place is an important
part of the process.

When evaluating your controls, first According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational
determine if the control is effective. Does Health and Safety, here are 10 key questions to ask
it protect the worker from the hazard? when evaluating your hazard controls:

For example, if you implement a safety Have the controls solved the problem?
inspection checklist for your fleet of Is the risk posed by the original
vehicles as an administrative control, hazard contained?
but find that it is not capturing defective Have any new hazards been created?
parts or safety functions, you may want to Are new hazards appropriately controlled?
re-think the design or the implemen- Are monitoring processes adequate?
tation of the control. You will find that Have workers been adequately informed
many controls will not completely eliminate about the situation?
all risk, so it is important to implement Have orientation and training programs been
controls that fit with the type of work modified to deal with the new situation?
involved and your organizational struc- Are any other measures required?
ture. Be realistic about the time that will Has the effectiveness of hazard controls been
be required to implement the control—a documented in your safety committee minutes?
control that requires massive retrofitting What else can be done?
or extensive staff training may not be a
viable solution if your organization lacks Source: The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
the resources.

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 41

Step 5

Do Your Part:

Determine Policies and Goals

Focused policies, formally endorsed by upper management,
send the message to employees that your traffic safety

program should be taken seriously. Here’s how to determine
what policies to put in place to support success.

P rior to 2013, Motor Vehicle Incidents (MVIs)
at Reliance Home Comfort were slowly
rising each year. Slafka Faitz, Manager of
Health & Safety at the North York, ON-based
heating, ventilation and air-conditioning company,
was asked to determine why, and to create a program
to help reduce these incidents for the company’s 700
vehicles and 750 drivers across Canada.
What followed was a period of research and consul-
tation that resulted in a new traffic safety program.
The program consists of core traffic safety policies,
mandatory yearly driver training courses, an incident
review committee, numerous awareness campaigns,
and a number of goals and programs planned for fu-
ture years. In the program’s first year MVIs at Reliance
decreased by an impressive 65%.
Needless to say, this is the kind of outcome you should
desire for your new traffic safety program! Having the
right policies in place will help you get there. Formal
guidelines and expectations create a solid foundation
for program success. g

42 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

If policies are currently created as a reaction to an
incident or regulatory change, it should be a red
flag that you are chasing preventative measures

rather than leading them.

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 43

If policies are currently created as a reaction to Legislation is built around a framework of
an incident or regulatory change, it should be a expectations and what is not acceptable.
red flag that you are chasing preventative mea- Understanding these expectations should con-
sures rather than leading them. But how do you vey to you and your organization your minimum
determine what policies will best support your performance level.
program and what to include in the policies? Let’s
go through some of the steps you should consider However, building a solid traffic safety policy
when heading into the policy-making process. framework is not just about meeting the letter
of the law. It should be about being the best
Back to Policy Basics you can be, being a leader in your industry and
most importantly doing what is right for your
In a broad sense, a health and safety policy can be employees. Take some time to define what is
described as a set of basic principles and related and is not acceptable from a quality, quantity
procedures created and enforced by the leading or performance perspective at your company.
body of an organzation, to guide and control its
actions in order to achieve long-term goals. During your research process, talk to man-
agement and support staff. Sometimes policy
With this definition in mind, determining what your gaps can be discovered if a negative trend is
long-term goals are is a step in the right direction. seen in one department but not another. For
What does your traffic safety vision of the future example, if you have commercial vehicles and
look like? This may sound like a big concept, but it’s light vehicles, the law regulates vehicle inspec-
actually quite simple. If you look at the change ex- tion requirements for the commercial vehicles,
perienced by Reliance Home Comfort, the traffic but not the light ones. After talking with your
safety vision of the future was a reduction in a few maintenance department, you may realize that
key areas, most-importantly MVIs. Determining because light vehicle preoperational inspection
your long-term goals is an important first step as is not regulated, maintenance could be slipping
your organization will need to refer back to this through the cracks and would benefit from a
framework to determine if your policies created policy structure of its own.
positive change.
As well, consider the core processes that affect
No doubt your most necessary traffic safety your organization. These processes may not
goal is that your company is in compliance with immediately appear to be something you
all applicable legislation and regulations (see think about, but most-likely your organization
“Compliance Considerations,” page 45, for some follows this basic structure:
tips to ensure you have all your company’s
requirements covered). • On-Boarding Employees: qualifying,
hiring and training;

• E mployees at Work: compliance,
performance and improvement; and

• O ff-Boarding Employees: correction,
discipline or dismissal. g

A Policy is: A set of basic principles and related procedures created

and enforced by the leading body of an organization to guide and control
its actions in order to achieve long-term goals.

44 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

Compliance
Considerations

Here are some examples of the more
common regulations you may need to review:

1. Highway Traffic Act Each regulation will have a framework of
• Vehicle size and weight regulations requirements for compliance. Using that frame-
• Hours of work regulations work, you can create a company-specific list of
• Safety inspection regulations what actions would result in non-compliance
• Driver’s licence regulations with the regulation. Think about what processes
• School bus regulations your company has internally or what other
• Commercial Motor Vehicle processes your company interacts with exter-
nally that fall under the regulation. As a simple
Operator’s Information example, consider driver’s licenses. Under the
Highway Traffic Act anyone getting behind the
2. Occupational Health wheel must be a “fully licenced driver.” Your com-
and Safety Act pany may have staff that report for duty to drive
a pool of vehicles. You may want to consider
• Construction Regulations a line in your driver policy that says all staff
• Industrial Regulations reporting to drive must produce their driver’s
licence prior to being assigned work.
3. Transportation of Dangerous
Goods Regulations Luckily, most of the legwork is already done
when it comes to regulations. Most Acts or
Depending on your industry, the types of vehi- Regulations will have consequences for failure
cles you operate, and the activities in which your to comply. Legislators, the public, safety associ-
workers engage, this list could be much longer ations, and enforcement have lobbied over time
and more diverse. If your company has even one for penalties for what is deemed unacceptable.
forklift, for example, you will need to review the For example, if a driver speeds, they may be
Guidelines for the Safe Operation and Mainte- issued a ticket.
nance of Powered Lift Trucks.
If the parameters are already out there why not
leverage them. If speeding is an unacceptable
behavior in the eyes of the law when driving,
then perhaps you will want to consider what
infractions you will deem unacceptable when
hiring employees.

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 45

THE EXPERTS SAY Building a policy structure for traffic safety may
require policies in one or all of these areas,
The HR Council of Canada and they may be interconnected. For example,
advises it is time to develop during the onboarding process your organiza-
a policy when: tion may require applicants to provide a driver’s
abstract and you may also require that it satisfy
1. There is legislation that expressly the company’s driver policy. This will ensure all
requires an organization to have applicants’ driving records are assessed equally.
a policy in place. A hiring policy for your company drivers will
support your requirement to ensure a fair
2. T here is legislation that does not recruitment and interviewing process that is
expressly require an organization not discriminatory.
have a policy, but the regulations
and steps to be followed are tightly Failure to have or follow fair on-boarding, work,
defined and a policy will help to ensure or off-boarding policies/practices can result in
the organization is in compliance. human rights complaints, employment stan-
dards violations, and litigation for your organi-
3. T here is inconsistency in how em- zation. Your traffic safety policies may require
ployees behave or managers make changes or inclusions to existing policies or work
decisions that is negatively impacting practices in other areas of the company. It is al-
the work environment or accomplish- ways a good idea to have a policy review process
ment of business. where new policies or changes to policies can be
vetted before being applied.
4. T here is significant confusion about cer-
tain areas of the business or how things It is tempting to rush a policy from draft to im-
are done and the organization would plementation, but the best review processes in-
benefit from a policy. clude all managers affected so they can fully un-
derstand it and have the chance to take it back
Source: HR Council of Canada to their departments and evaluate it for impacts.
This may seem redundant and time consuming,
but it is better to get it right from the start rather
than have multiple revisions of a published policy.

Your Policy Strategy

Clearly, there are many elements to consider
when creating policies that are comprehensive
and cover all goals and concerns. Knowing where
to look and what to look for can be frustrating.
In fact, it may be the hardest part of developing
policies to support your traffic safety program.

The good news? You’re not alone. There are
existing resources you can easily draw from
that will help reveal possible areas that would
benefit from a policy, and what details should
be included in that policy. Industry research,
insurance reports and government statistics
are just a few examples. You don’t have to
reinvent the wheel—just a bit of research will g

46 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

YOUR RESEARCH

Tip Sheet

Here are a few resources you may find
helpful when creating your policy structure:

1 Ministry of Labour
Consider this your go-to site for workplace safety information.
The Ministry of Labour’s mission is to advance safe, fair and
harmonious workplace practices that are essential to the social
and economic wellbeing of the people of Ontario.

2 Ministry of Transportation
The Ministry of Transportation strives to be a world leader in moving
people and goods safely. A wealth of information can be found here.

3 Ontario Road Safety Annual Report

This report tracks the current state of road safety in Ontario
each year. Statistics are presented on fatalities, injuries and
property damage collisions, as well as the types of vehicles
involved, collision locations and conviction data.

4 Transport Canada
Transport Canada’s Motor Vehicle Safety Directorate works
with industry and government partners to make Canada’s
roads the safest in the world.

5 Insurance Bureau of Canada
Look to this organization to learn how risk and events
are connected to insurance.
Here are two U.S. resources you can also consult for useful examples and ideas:

6 U.S. Department of Transportation
The department’s national motor vehicle crash
causation survey reveals critical reasons for crashes.

7 American Transportation Research Institute
If you are a transportation company this is a must-read
for developing your hiring and performance policies.

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 47

get you rolling. (See “Your Research Tip *
Sheet,” page 47, for some great ideas).
Also be sure to search the web for specific PROGRAM POINTER
regulations related to your industry.
YOUR CORPORATE INSURANCE
“My first step was to review all of our PROVIDER CAN BE A GREAT SOURCE
MVIs, the injuries and lost-time stats,
and for each one we asked: can we pin- OF INFORMATION TO HELP WITH
point why?” says Faitz. “When we real- POLICY INCLUSIONS.
ized, for example, that most incidents
occurred while our vehicles were backing 1. Talk it Out. Take the time to sit down with
up, we began to create a specific Vehicle your provider and talk about your claims
Usage Policy that addressed this and other experience. Ask for a claims report. Look
hazards while the vehicle was in motion.” for root causes and take an honest look.
Ask if any claims could have been prevented.
Faitz also researched what others were
doing in the industry. “I reached out to 2. Learn from the Past. Your insurance com-
safety industry colleagues and companies pany will have a wider range of experience
in similar industries to benchmark and about what is happening in your specific
share best practices,” she says. industry. Ask what has happened at some
of other companies in your industry.
Industry associations can be one of your
best resources. The odds are you are not Remember: If your insurance company sees
alone. Check to see if your industry asso- a behavior as higher risk, you should too.
ciation has a chat board or question and
answer outreach service. WANT TO LEARN MORE?

At Reliance, Faitz’s research resulted in By the
the creation of four formal traffic safety Book
policies at the onset of the program to
address the company’s long-term goal of To make your policies as polished and easy
reducing MVIs: to understand as possible, check out How
to Write Policies, Procedures and Task Out-
1. A Safe Driving Policy: which outlines lines, by Larry Peabody. Peabody focuses
the company’s overall commitment on avoiding pitfalls in the areas of writing
to safe driving practices and upper style, page layout and organization to help
management endorsement of this your documents shine.
commitment.

2. A Vehicle Usage Policy: which covers
areas such as parking guidelines and
rules to follow when bringing a com-
pany vehicle home.

3. A Vehicle Idling Policy: which details
protocols for Reliance vehicles when
stationary.

4. An Electronic Device Policy: which
covers distracted driving concerns and
the company’s no hands-free use of
devices rules. g

48 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN

When developing policies you will need to con- 2. TRENDS IN YOUR OWN COMPANY.
sider how one policy fits or leads into another.
As you may notice, Reliance’s Safe Driving Policy When an incident occurs at your company,
is the company’s overarching commitment, and chances are that this exact incident has proba-
the Vehicle Usage, Vehicle Idling and Electronic bly “almost” occurred many times. Documenting
Device policies support it by further defining ex- and constantly reviewing “near-misses” in the
pectations. workplace can help you identify policy gaps that
will ward off future tragedies. Important to note,
When starting your own research this will require you to have defined categories
process, consider the following: and a mechanism of reporting.

1. TRENDS THAT AFFECT YOUR INDUSTRY. 3. MAINSTREAM MEDIA.

Keep an eye on what is happening at other com- Monitor the news for workplace fatalities, seri-
panies in your industry to get insight into what ous collisions, or incidents at places of business.
could happen at yours. Learn from the mistakes Long before any reports on the findings are re-
of others before you make them yourself. leased you can be asking yourself if something
similar could occur at your place of business and
how it could be prevented. g

Industry associations can be one of your best resources.
The odds are you are not alone.

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 49

It can be argued that the most important part of other organization or hastily put together to save
your policy process has nothing to do with pol- time. If you want a policy to be successful your
icies, but rather the challenge of ensuring that organization must want it and must own it. If
policies are respected and followed. there is no end goal or perceived value to people
or the organization, no one will want it. If there
Your traffic safety program is about managing are no resources or support to apply it no one
risk, the internal risk of an injury or fatality, and will comply with it. Taking the time to conduct re-
the external risk of your employees’ actions in- views and solicit feedback will help in both want-
juring or killing a member of the public. Safety ing it and owning it. Being able to get buy in from
policies create a framework with the end goal of your organization will be a lot easier if the various
getting everyone home each night, injury free. If stakeholders are involved in the process.
anyone rejects this notion, thinks you can’t con-
trol others, or can’t control fate, you may have a It is often a challenge, but one of the lesser con-
safety culture issue to address. You will not be sidered steps when developing policies is a re-
successful with any policies you undertake if the view date. The time can vary and it will be based
leadership in your company does not buy into on a couple of factors. If an update is triggered
the goals (see “A Question of Culture,” page 51, by legislative change, the entire policy should
for some tips on creating a culture of safety). be reviewed and a new review date set. A good
general rule would be to review all your policies
Work in Progress at least once every five years. Some of the basic
questions to ask:
As you create your own policy framework, keep in
mind that there’s no need to go overboard. Creat- 1. Does it still apply or is it redundant?
ing a policy structure that is too cumbersome or
complex for your organization’s size or resources 2. Does the organization still need it?
will just confuse and frustrate your workforce.
Create policies that will have the greatest benefit 3. It is accurate and applicable?
to your specific work environment and the goals
you have for your company. The goal here, say 4. What is its value to the organization?
the experts, is quality over quantity.
After more than four years, Faitz says the Reli-
Faitz agrees. “You have to do what works for your ance program is still evolving and she anticipates
particular business,” she says, “and you can keep more policies as they continue to learn. “We are
it simple at first.” now not only looking at the employee side, but
now the vehicle side as well, with safety solutions
It may seem like a good idea initially to use a pol- such as rear-view cameras and specialized tires.”
icy you found on the internet, shared from an-
Bruce Cushing is Senior Fleet Safety Advisor for the Region of Waterloo

Create policies that will have the greatest benefit to your specific
work environment and the goals you have for your company.

50 • En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN