En Route to Safety Guidebook

A Question of Culture

A culture of safety is the key to policies that create change—and it
starts from the top down.

There is no shortage of policies in the At Westcan Bulk Transportation in
corporate world, and if everyone fol- Edmonton, AB, for example, senior
lowed policies there would be no in- management is open to all ideas
cidents, says Dr. Louis Francescutti, that relate to safety, no matter the
emergency medical physician at Royal cost, says Dan Columbus Vice-Pres-
Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, AB, a for- ident of Safety and Environment. “Our
mer president of the Canadian Medical As- CEO sees safety as an investment and not
sociation and corporate speaker with a par- a cost. He is very much involved,” he says.
ticular passion for workplace safety. “You can “After providing many ideas, some that
have all the rules in the world but if someone cost money and some that don’t, we have
wants to break them, they will. It is about never had a program idea turned down.”
changing the culture.”
In addition to investing in safety, senior
Company culture, as Alan Quilley describes leadership at Westcan also leads by exam-
in his book Creating and Maintaining a Practi- ple by walking the talk. “After a Distracted
cal-Based Safety Culture, is simply “the way it Driving Policy was unrolled in May 2016,
is around here.” Quilley, who owns Safety Re- our executive team pledged not to use
sults Ltd., a Sherwood Park, AB-based safety hands-free devices while driving, along
consulting company, says he often sees a gap with all our drivers,” says Columbus. “Re-
between intention and execution. “Manage- cently our President & CEO was on his
ment say they want things a certain way, but way to the office and received a call. Even
don’t follow through,” he says. though he was only a few hundred metres
from our office, he pulled over to avoid us-
The good news is that the perception of “the ing hands-free while driving.”
way it is around here,” can change. And it
starts from the top down. “Culture is created When employees see management re-
by your intentions and your actions,” says specting safety, they will follow suit. West-
Quilley. “The safety component of your com- can employees, for example, are empow-
pany culture is demonstrated by what you ered to encourage distraction-free driving.
say about how you want safety to be, then If they receive a call from someone who is
by what you collectively do about it. The driving, they can request that the person
time and money you spend on safety is a call back once stopped in a safe location.
measureable demonstration of your desire “Steps like these lay the foundation for a
to actually create safety.” strong safety culture,” says Columbus.

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 51

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.

A s you make your way through the steps
of creating a traffic safety program, you
have identified your company’s specific
traffic hazards, assessed their risks, and
investigated appropriate controls and how to imple-
ment them. Next, time to consider that an integral
part of any traffic program should include training.
When it comes to safety training, the stakes are high:
effective training can literally be lifesaving. “In my
experience employers often consider safety train-
ing a burden,” says professional workplace safety
trainer Randy Dignard, Founder and President of
Industrial Safety Trainers Inc., in Barrie, ON. “But
when employees need to make a split-second
decision, the training kicks in. They will remember.”
Considering that motor vehicle incidents (MVIs) are
the leading cause of workplace traumatic fatalities
in Ontario, training your employees to make safe
decisions when driving, walking or cycling on the job
just makes good business sense.
But where to begin? To help, we’ve created an En Route
to Safety Training Wheel that outlines the most g

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

Employers often consider training a burden. But
when employees need to make a split-second

decision, the training kicks in. They will remember.

—Randy Dignard, Founder and President, Industrial Safety Trainers Inc.

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 53

important areas to cover, such as assessing your train- Representatives Association. “First you
ing needs, what to outsource, and how to make your want to ensure you are meeting the Occupa-
in-house training courses the best they can be. We’ve tional Health & Safety Act and Regulations,
also talked to a number of experts in the field to find and then go from there to see if the specific
out what their experiences have been, and what has training needs of your company are being
worked at their organizations. So let’s get things rolling! met. If a risk or gap in your safety program is
identified, as a business owner you need to
1 ASSESS YOUR NEEDS proactively address it.”

Once you have identified and assessed traffic safety At the County of Brant in Burford, ON,
hazards and risks, gaps will likely arise in the area for example, each position has a training
of employee skills and knowledge. To fill these gaps, matrix. “This details the training required
training will be required. While each workplace may specific to each position, determined
have its own way of determining training require- through the hazard assessment/risk
ments, there are some standard practices. assessment process in consultation with
department supervisors,” says Health and
Glen Walker, Health & Safety Officer at the Town of Safety Specialist Nadine Dunlop (now with
Whitby, ON, and Owner of GMW Safety Training & the Upper Grand District School Board).
Consulting Ltd., teaches credential courses for the
Canadian Society of Safety Engineering such as 2 DETERMINE YOUR IN HOUSE
Training Needs Assessments and Options, and Devel- TRAINING TOPICS
oping Effective Occupational Health & Safety Training
Programs. He says many of his course strategies can be Once you have determined what your train-
applied when assessing traffic safety training needs. ing needs are, it’s time to decide how you
“A needs analysis sounds complex but in the end it will deliver that training to employees. What
answers a very simple question: how do you know can you take on in-house and what should
what you need?” says Walker, who is also Director of you outsource? Like most municipalities on
Programs for the Ontario Municipal Health & Safety a fixed budget, Dunlop’s program blends a
bit of everything to create the most value.
TRAINING IS IN THE HOUSE! “We use a mixture of training options,” she
says. “An online defensive driving course,
Questions to ask when considering purchased videos, as well as materials and
creating your own training programs. training created in-house.”

1. Do you have the space? When deciding what to take on in-house,
Dunlop first looks at competency. “Some
2. D o you have the resources to create courses are more in-depth than we feel
your own handout material? comfortable with training in-house,” she
says. “Also, sometimes our staff responds
3. D o you have the time to develop your better to external trainers because they
own in-house products? will pay more attention to someone they
are not used to interacting with regularly.
4. D o you have the expertise to develop We take pride in our in-house training, but
the program internally? sometimes having that third party makes
the difference and it is better received.”
5. A re you familiar with the regulations
that apply? Cost is often a factor when deciding to
outsource or train in-house, says Tommy
6. Do you have potential trainers onsite? Sauve, Safety, Training and Operations g

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

The Wheel Deal:

Follow these steps to get your traffic
safety training program rolling.

1 ASSESS YOUR NEEDS

DEFINE YOUR ONGOING TRAFFIC 2
AFTER-TRAINING SAFETY
STRATEGY TRAINING DETERMINE
WHEEL YOUR
7 IN-HOUSE
TRAINING
6 TOPICS

TEST FOR 3
TRAINING
RETENTION APPLY ADULT
LEARNING
METHODS
AND VARIOUS
LEARNING
STYLES

5 4

USE HELP FROM: SEEK OUT AND
INCORPORATE
OUTSIDE SUPPORT/

MATERIALS

Supervisor, Department of Infrastructure and When it comes to in-house training, Sauve says
Municipal Works at the City of Cornwall. “We he analyzes what knowledge he has on staff.
want to know what makes economical sense—is “Veteran employees have the experience, the
it worth the expense to send employees off-site, know-how and the job techniques to be able to
or is it more cost-effective to bring in an outside assist with training,” he says. “I lean towards our
agency?” he says. “As a group we determine the veterans quite a bit. It shows them they are ap-
need. In most cases, bringing in an outside agency preciated and respected for the experience they
makes more sense cost-wise.” have, and trusted and valued for what they do.”

THE EXPERTS SAY… Walker, who trains in-house on topics such as
basic road safety and circle-check protocol, says
According to the Ontario Workplace when recruiting in-house trainers, it’s import-
Health and Safety Centre - which ant to take into consideration their potential
provides training to thousands of to transfer their knowledge. “Not everyone who
Ontario workers each year - quality is knowledgeable is a good trainer,” he says.
health and safety training: “Sometimes I will identify someone who is
knowledgeable and use them as a resource to
1. Embraces proven adult teaching assist the person who will be doing the training.”
techniques.
If you have decided to create training in-house,
2. Builds on workers’ experiences. focus on fostering an environment in which
3. Is delivered by a trusted and managers are empowered to be on the lookout
for potential trainers. “We are always looking for
qualified source. people on staff who have technically sound skills
4. Provides opportunity to apply who we think could train well,” says Walker. “We
will approach them to see if they are interested
what is learned. in training, and if they are we mentor them with
5. P rovides opportunity for an instructor a train-the-trainer approach.”

to observe and confirm learning has APPLY ADULT LEARNING
taken place.
6. A voids Band-Aid solutions, addressing 3 METHODS AND VARIOUS
root problems—the hazards themselves.
LEARNING STYLES
Source: Ontario Workplace Health and Safety Centre
Once you have determined what topics you
will be tackling in-house to support the goals of
your traffic safety program, it’s time to create
some training!

For effective in-house training programs, start
by taking a big picture look at who you are
training and what you want to accomplish.
For starters, your workers are adults, so an
understanding of adult learning principles is
important. What are their education and literacy
levels? Are there any learning disabilities you
may need to take into consideration? Also, each
person learns differently, so how you deliver
information is as important as the subject
matter itself, and will have a huge impact on how
your workers will learn and retain information.

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

This may sound complicated, but it doesn’t program interactive and lively. It’s effective and
have to be. Here are some simple guidelines makes learning easier with less stress.”
to follow that will lay the groundwork for
creating training that workers will understand, After more than 20 years in the safety training
remember and apply. business, Dignard is well aware that each person
has a unique way of taking in, understanding
Mature Learners and retaining information. “The people I train
come from a range of backgrounds,” he says.
As opposed to young learners who come to the “If they are driving, working in warehouses
classroom as virtual blank slates, adult learners or on construction sites, they may not have
come to the job with a variety of life and work formal classroom education. Some may not
experiences. Understandably, they will draw on know English very well, or can speak it but may
those experiences when learning anything new. not read well.”
Research has shown adult learners approach
training with two questions in mind: His solution to ensure his message is well-
received by everyone in the group is to provide
1. How is this information going to benefit me? a little something for everyone. “My approach
changes with each group once I realize the
2. How can I put this information into practice? various styles in the class. There is no right way
to train—do what works. Don’t restrict yourself.”
Providing answers to these questions upfront
will help engage your workers from the start. Sauve agrees. “In the transportation and
Mature learners want to know why they need municipal sector there are workers who may
to know the information, so providing a back- not have the reading and writing skills, but have
ground that explains the purpose of the the practical skills and years of experience to
material will help also. Examples of how the do the job,” he says. “I do my best to keep the
information will be used and applied will help information simple and allow everyone to feel
the learner visualize the information’s useful- a part of it.” g
ness. When workers can imagine themselves
using the information presented they can relate WANT TO LEARN MORE?
to it practically and remember it.
If you would like to
As a result of their life experiences, adult learners learn more about
benefit from sharing and discussing how those how your employees
experiences apply to new information. Sauve learn, consider this
at the City of Cornwall knows first-hand that timeless classic in
drawing on employees’ experiences during the area of adult
training is essential. “I want our staff to learn learning. The Adult
through real life situations and experiences Learner, by Malcolm
they have had, not just on the job but in life in S. Knowles, Elwood
general,” he says. “I often call on their experi- F. Holton III and
ences and allow them to speak openly to others Richard A. Swanson,
who may be new on the job.” addresses how to
tailor education to
For Sauve, who is also a Certified Training and the learning needs
Development Professional (CTDP), incorporat- of adults.
ing adult learning theories into his training is not
only effective, it also creates an environment of
respect. “Our training is designed with adult
learning at their core,” he says. “These principles
allow more group involvement and keeps the

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 57

A Question of Style a new piece of small but complex equipment. He
divided the team into a number of small groups,
Within this adult-learning approach, it is helpful with an instructor for each group. The instructor
to understand that not everyone will learn the taught the group about the new equipment.
same way. There is a wide body of research Then the piece was passed along to each group
about how individuals learn, with numerous member, who then had to instruct the person
theories and categories (see below for an beside them on how to use the equipment.
example of the VARK system, one of many in- “They each had a chance to be the student, to
teresting perspectives on how people learn). observe someone else being taught, and to be
Understanding these types of learning styles the trainer,” he says. “By the end of the session
will help you create programs with materials each person knew exactly how to use the equip-
and delivery methods to benefit all audiences. ment, and it was not because of what we did, it
But remember, no one will be at one extreme was because of what they did for each other.”
or the other in each category, everyone falls Walker admits this format may take more time,
somewhere in between. but the payoff is worth it. “In the end, the goal is
not to just check the box that we did the training,
Walker has a particular passion for incorporat- the goal is knowledge transfer,” he says.
ing a variety of learning styles into his programs.
“I like to set the table for learners, to give them Training Format: Get Creative!
a number of different ways to take in the infor-
mation,” he says. “For example, we will discuss it, With a subject matter as diverse as traffic safety,
then we will do an activity that will involve some there can be many opportunities to get creative
of the participants while others can learn while with how you structure training. Classroom
observing.” training is common, and the convenience of
online training makes it understandably g
One of Walker’s most memorable training
scenarios involved training a team of workers on

Learning with Style

A learning style is how a person acquires, retains and retrieves information. One well-known model
is Visual, Auditory, Read/Write and Kinesthetic (VARK), created by Neil Fleming, which is based on the
dominant senses used when learning and processing information.

Visual Read/Write

Visual learners prefer to see Reading text and writing down concepts
visual displays such as videos, helps Read/Write learners absorb the
images illustrated texts and subject matter. Handouts will help these
other handouts. learners. They may also want to take notes.

Auditory Kinesthetic

Lectures and discussion groups These learners are all about their senses.
help auditory learners take in They learn through doing, and like to see
information through listening. the concept in action. Many may want to
They like to hear concepts participate in real-life examples.
explained in a clear way.

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

popular. In the end a hybrid model, An Engaging Option
which blends both classroom and online
instruction, can be a great way to create As the name suggests, active learning
a program that will be effective and meet encourages participation. Here are some
the needs of your workers. techniques to engage your trainees.

Classroom Based Discussions: Start with a question or a theme
to help direct a discussion. Have participants
Most people think of classroom-based break into pairs or small groups and discuss the
training as some form of lecture where question/theme. Then have each group present
an instructor stands at the front of a short summary.
the room delivering a speech to the
participants. Perhaps you have attended Role Playing: Create scenarios for participants
training like this and have wondered how to act out their newly learned knowledge. For
it can be more interesting. Techniques example, if there was a lesson about vehicle
to make training more interactive will circle checks, have them physically act out how
help participants feel more engaged to do a circle check for their vehicle.
and therefore more likely to retain the
information. Having a portion of the Case Studies: Use real-life examples to describe
training that is hands-on will help solidify a situation and have participants work through
the knowledge. how to handle it. For example, describe a trip a
worker has to take, then have them list all safety
Lecturing in front of a group is some- precautions they should be taking before,
times an unavoidable part of a training during and after their journey.
program. To keep participants engaged,
try to keep the materials easy to under- Games: Playing games makes learning feel fun
stand and brief. Topics can be divided and more interesting. Break into small groups
into various sections with interactive to play a game, or have the class play together.
portions in between to help break up Perhaps you can break a longer training session
the flatness of passive listening. For into sections and have a “quiz” game at the end
example, a lecture could provide an over- of each section to test knowledge.
view of safe driving techniques during
bad weather, and then the class could be
broken up into groups to discuss how to
prepare for driving in various conditions
such as heavy rain, fog or snow. g

42% 29%

Percentage of training Percentage of training
hours delivered by hours delivered via
an instructor in a online or computer-
classroom setting based technologies

Source: Training Magazine’s 2017 Training Industry Report
En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 59

Essentially it is a simple concept: interactive more memorable. Such as, have them watch the
techniques that engage participants will help online training but do the quiz with the worker
employees retain the information. in person, adding in a practical element from
your specific workplace.”
Blending Online and Classroom
4 INCORPORATE OUTSIDE
Combining both online and classroom training is SUPPORT AND MATERIALS
an effective way to provide workers with training
in formats that will appeal to many learning When creating in-house training, always
styles and preferences. An effective way of pair- remember that you don’t have to reinvent the
ing these two types of training is to use online wheel. There are many resources available—
training as a way to introduce topics and provide many of which are free.
background before attending an in-class
session. Workers can be introduced to the For example, experts in traffic safety and profes-
material and learn at their own pace as they sionals who have real-life experience will often be
work through the online training. Then, when willing to share their expertise.
they attend a classroom session, participants
will have a baseline knowledge of the topics, and Staff Sergeant Mike Hinsperger of the Waterloo
the session can involve more active learning to Regional Police Service (WRPS) Traffic Services
reinforce concepts (more about active learning Unit, for example, recalls the owner of a trucking
techniques see “An Engaging Option,” page 59). company contacting the WRPS to request a
presentation for his drivers. “He had drivers in
“Many employers don’t have the ability to do remote areas who were required to stay in hotels
live training, so purchasing an online course is on the road in groups, and asked if someone
a good option,” says Dignard. “But think about could talk to them about the dangers of drink-
adapting it to your specific workplace to make it ing the night before a shift and still being
over the legal limit in the morning,” says
A Note on Videos Hinsperger. “Over the course of my career I have
gained a lot of knowledge and real examples
Showing a video during a safety train- about this topic, so I went up to their location
ing session can engage your audience and gave a presentation that they all found very
and help illustrate concepts. There’s no informative. These are things that can be done
denying the world loves video - more if you just ask.”
than 500 million hours of video are
watched on YouTube every day (Busi- Sauve says he often brings in speakers to present
ness Insider 2016). But a quick search to employees at the City of Cornwall. “Working with
will reveal that safety videos range our Garage and Fleet Supervisor and other depart-
from high quality and useful, to some- ment supervisors, we will bring in a company rep
what out-of-date and downright silly. to go over new technologies and features of new
Keep in mind that videos should be equipment,” he says. “It is very helpful because an
interesting and relevant, or there is owner’s manual is not always practical for every-
a risk the message will be lost on par- one. Doing this also shows our commitment to
ticipants as they focus on the video’s safety, and that I have no problem doing what-
out-of-date look or childish style. ever I need to do in order to help us get the best
information available to keep everyone safe.”

For Walker at the Town of Whitby, a thorough
online research regime has helped add plenty
of great material to his programs. “There are
some good videos out there and I have added
many to our in-house programs,” he says. g

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

5 USE HELP FROM: EN ROUTE TO SAFETY!

And remember: we can help! Head to
enroutetosafety.ca—it just takes a few
moments to register your company and
choose the training that is relevant to your
workplace. You will be assigned customized
links that you can distribute to your workers.
They will be directed to the En Route
to Safety training modules and will be
provided with all the instructions they need
to get started. You will be able to track their
progress through your own personalized
online dashboard. We even provide them
with a printable certificate upon successful
completion of the assigned modules!

Highlights include:

Drive Driving Module: Head to
• Vehicle Check
• Navigating Environment enroutetosafety.ca
• Hazard Reporting
today for tools to help
Cycling Module: fulfil your employee
• Communication traffic safety due

and Visibility diligence responsibilities.
• Accident Protocol
Cycle • Situational Awareness

Walk Walking Module:
• Personal Preparedness
• Walking Alone
• Route Planning

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 61

6 TEST FOR TRAINING RETENTION *

Training programs deliver information to workers PROGRAM POINTER:
who are hopefully absorbing and processing
it. How can you verify whether or not the QUIZZES CAN HELP
information is being retained and understood? ADDRESS QUALITY
Evaluating your employees after training can be
done in a number of ways, most notably as a Testing helps verify that participants
test or quiz. have understood and retained the
information, but results can also
Evaluation doesn’t always have to be a written point out how to improve training.
test, however. When evaluating whether or not If a number of trainees answered a
workers are applying the training, a hands-on question incorrectly, perhaps that
approach can be very effective. Driving training, concept should be explained in a
for example, can be evaluated in-vehicle. Think different way or emphasized more
outside of the box! often. If even a few participants did
not understand, a new approach will
7 DEFINE YOUR ONGOING be worth your while. It’s a learning
AFTER-TRAINING STRATEGY process for all!

Alan Quinley, author of The Emperor Has No Hard Great Idea!
Hat, Achieving Real Workplace Safety Results, says
the goal of training is not just to educate people, ROUTINE RIDE-ALONGS
it is to change behaviour. “If the employee writes
a perfect post-training exam, but the behaviour To keep drivers’ skills sharp, Guelph,
does not change, then the training has failed ON-based Linamar Transportation
… being able to do the task is not enough; the hired a former driver (who had to stop
employee must actually do it.” driving due to an injury) to observe
and evaluate each driver once a year.
For Walker, an effective after-training strategy is “Even veteran drivers get used to
composed of three elements: doing something a certain way and
may not even notice they could be
1. Pre-Prepping. The best after-training strategy doing something better. There’s
starts before the training. Prep the supervisor always something to learn,” says HR
about the materials and insist they talk to Manager Michelle Drew.
employees immediately after the training about
what they could incorporate into the work they
do everyday. “The employee needs to know
their supervisor supports and is focused on
implementing the training,” he says.

2. Follow Up. About one month after the training,
have the supervisor go over the training again
and talk about challenges or questions. “This
tracks a formal review of the material as well as
employer commitment to safety,” says Walker.

3. Self-Assessment. About two months after
training, Walker has employees do a self assess-
ment of how well they are applying the training.
“This makes them mindful of what they are doing
in the work environment,” he says.

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

Q+A with:

Q: What is Q: Manny Sousa,

President of Canadian Pro Drivers (CPD) Inc.

Here’s how one of Canada’s largest driver-training companies approaches training.

Q: What is CPD’s approach to training? to all employees. And lastly, make the pro-
gram something they can share with family
A: CPD understands that adults learn best by members to ensure all are aware.
doing, or by watching someone else doing.
This understanding of how adults learn Q: Where do you think some employers go
drives our approach to defensive driver wrong with training?
training. Defensive driver training is about
changing behaviours with a focus on the A: Often times training is not integrated as an
cerebral aspects of driving, not teaching the important part of the organization’s safety
mechanics of driving. We know it is important message. It is seen as ‘ticking the box,’ or ‘an
that training is interactive and actively event’ or a ‘compliance exercise’ and not given
engaging. We call it Edutrainment (Education, the follow up and expectation that employees
Training and Entertainment). make it part of their jobs. For many there is also
a lack of follow up after the training to ensure
Q: How do you structure your training the learning has been retained and the new
programs? behaviours are being demonstrated. Many
organizations measure only the financial return
A: All our programs contain a classroom theory on investment. While defensive driver training
component to frame the training and pro- provides good financial return through reduced
vide defensive driving concepts, but the lion’s collisions and associated operating costs, the
share of a CPD training session is conducted real impact of this investment is in improved
as a hands-on, in-vehicle experience in small employee safety.
groups of four participants per vehicle. In this
manner, participants learn from both instruc- Q: What would you say has been the biggest
tor and colleague observer feedback. CPD’s change in training theory in this area over
classroom and hands-on training programs the years?
are supplemented by regular online learning
sessions which are designed to keep the A: The recognition that adults learn best by doing
importance of defensive driving front of mind. and second best by watching someone else
doing it. So the move from presenting in the
Q: What is the best advice you can give an classroom to a more hands-on, interactive
employer creating traffic safety training? and engaging session outside in the yard
or on the road, in the vehicle, enables the
A: First, make your program an integral part of drivers to observe, learn and practice the
your Health and Safety agenda. Also, support new defensive driving behaviours.
the message with commitment from the
leadership team to make the investment of
time and money in providing the learning

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 63

Step 7

All Aboard!

Getting Buy-in

Clear communication and a plan for avoiding potential
roadblocks will ensure your new traffic safety program is

given the green light.

N o doubt, the success of any new workplace
safety program is impossible without the
buy-in and participation of employees
and upper management. But let’s face it,
change is hard at the best of times.
While the notion of change will excite and motivate
some individuals, others will feel anxious and worried.
In the case of a traffic safety program, some of your
employees may worry about failing to meet perfor-
mance expectations and losing their privilege to
drive, or even their job. Uncertainty associated with
new safety measures can lead to resistance.
According to Alan Quilley in his book, The Emperor Has
No Hard Hat, Achieving Real Workplace Safety Results,
new safety initiatives that involve changing the way
things are currently being done can be particularly
difficult. “It can be hard to convince a person who’s
been using a procedure without incident for years
that what they are doing is unsafe,” Quilley says. By
establishing a solid change-management plan you
will be able to anticipate any potential roadblocks
and create a clear path for your program’s success. g

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

It can be hard to convince a person who’s been
using a procedure without incident for years

that what they are doing is unsafe.

—Alan Quilley, author, The Emperor Has No Hard Hat, Achieving Real Workplace Safety Results

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 65

THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGE Much has been written about how to success-
fully manage change in the workplace (see
In 2013, North York, ON-based heating, venti- “Kotter’s Counsel,” right, for some great
lation and air-conditioning company, Reliance advice), but for starters, you can create a solid
Home Comfort, took on the challenge of change foundation with simple and clear communi-
by creating a traffic safety program for its 750 cation. Clearly explain to your team what is
staff members and 700 vehicles across Canada. changing. But even more importantly, explain
What was in place at the time would be deemed why it is changing. The desired impact of your
basic when considering the thousands of hours program implementation will be what resonates
Reliance vehicles spend on Canadian roads each with employees. Highlight why you’re making
year, admits Slafka Faitz, Reliance’s Manager, the change and how the positive outcomes will
Health & Safety. “Every three years drivers were benefit them.
required to complete classroom-based defensive
driving training,” she says. “We were doing our due For Faitz, making the message personal to
diligence but no more. It was a low-cost solution.” employees was at the core of her plan. “People
are never going to like change,” she says. “I found
Fast forward to today and Reliance now has a it really helpful to focus communication on their
robust and growing traffic safety program, safety rather than focus only on the new rules.”
which reduced the company’s Motor Vehicle Emphasize that going home injury-free means
Incidents (MVIs) by 65% in the first year alone. they preserve the ability to enjoy life to the
But getting there was no small task. Achieving fullest with their family and friends.
the cooperation of a broad range of employees
—with varying ages and years of service, not Other ways to make positive corporate out-
to mention geographic locations—required a comes meaningful to employees on a personal
well-thought-out plan to achieve buy-in. level? Increased productivity and profits, for
example, could lead to greater job security g

People are never going to like change. I found it really helpful
to focus on their safety rather than focus on following rules.

—Slafka Faitz, Manager, Health & Safety, Reliance Home Comfort

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

and internal career advancement Kotter’s Counsel
opportunities. And remember, effective
communication goes both ways. An open Change management expert John Kotter created
door policy will encourage employees to an 8-Step Process for Leading Change. Take what
bring any questions or concerns directly you can from this list and apply it to your approach.
to you or a designate. Ask that they not
only bring their concerns but also any 1. Create a Sense of Urgency.
solutions they may have in mind. Set Help others see the need for change through
realistic and achievable milestones for a bold, aspirational opportunity statement
your program and communicate your that communicates the importance of acting
progress towards them. Don’t forget to immediately.
acknowledge individual achievements.
Let your employees know when and how 2. Build a Guiding Coalition.
you plan to measure the success of your A volunteer army needs a coalition of effective
program (see Step 8 on page 74 for ideas people — born of its own ranks — to guide it,
and tips on how to measure the success of coordinate it, and communicate its activities.
your program).
3. Form a Strategic Vision and Initiatives.
Identify Champions … and Clarify how the future will be different from the
Challengers past and how you can make that future a reality
through initiatives linked directly to the vision.
A program champion can make the
difference between the success and 4. Enlist a Volunteer Army.
failure of your program. g Large-scale change can only occur when massive
numbers of people rally around a common
WANT TO LEARN MORE? opportunity. They must be bought-in and urgent
to drive change — moving in the same direction.
By the
Book 5. Enable Action by Removing Barriers.
Removing barriers such as inefficient processes
Interested in Kotter’s theories and hierarchies provides the freedom necessary
on change management and to work across silos and generate real impact.
leadership? Check out his classic
international best-seller entitled 6. Generate Short Term Wins.
Leading Change. It may have Wins must be recognized, collected and commu-
been written back in 1988, but nicated—early and often—to track progress and
it is packed with still-relevant energize volunteers to persist.
advice and insights.
7. Sustain Acceleration.
Press harder after the first successes. Your
increasing credibility can improve systems,
structures and policies. Be relentless with initiating
change after change until the vision is a reality.

8. Institute Change.
Articulate the connections between the new
behaviors and organizational success, making
sure they continue until they become strong
enough to replace old habits.

Adapted from source: kotterinternational.com

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 67

Program champions can
boost employee engagement
by spreading their excitement
and enthusiasm.

In a business sense, a Champion is a worker day instead of waiting for someone else to
who voluntarily takes extra interest in the resolve a problem. Perhaps they step up and
success of a policy, program, project or product. ask questions and make good suggestions
A Champion will have a deep understanding of when there’s a problem at hand. A good cham-
its importance, will draw attention to its value, pion should also be someone who spends time
and will convince others to embrace the change among their colleagues and is well-respected
involved to make it happen. in your workplace. They should have a positive
attitude and a willingness to help others.
Considering this definition, perhaps a short-
list of employees comes to mind who could be Potential Challengers, at the other end of the
encouraged to champion your program. Cham- spectrum, should also be identified. They
pions can boost employee engagement by may be employees who are consistently change-
spreading their excitement and enthusiasm. averse, or veterans who are simply stuck in how
They motivate and inspire others to become things have “always been done.” Interestingly,
engaged in your program’s success. They may according to Quilley, some employees you
already be setting a positive example by identify as possible program Challengers can
correcting hazards they see around them every be converted to Champions simply by g

When asked what makes change successful:

92% 72% 70%

said top said said honest
employee and timely
management involvement communication

sponsorship

Source: IBM Global Making Change Work Study (2008) survey of 1,500 leaders and managers worldwide.

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

bringing them in at the ground level and help- *
ing them feel in-the-know. “Get them on com-
mittees, get them involved in problem solving PROGRAM POINTER
and doing observations,” Quilley advises. “Let
them figure it out for themselves. Observers SUPPORT SYSTEM
and committee participants generally feel they
need to do things the safe way, to uphold the TIPS AND IDEAS TO KEEP
trust placed in them.” EMPLOYEES ENTHUSIASTIC

This approach worked well for Faitz at Reliance ABOUT YOUR TRAFFIC
when it came time to get local buy-in for a vehicle SAFETY GOALS.
telematics pilot to monitor driver behaviour.
Faitz identified veteran employees at local levels 1. Ask their Advice. Everyone likes to give
across the country and included them in the their two cents. Invite employees to
65-truck pilot program to make them feel part provide feedback and ideas for new
of the process. “The hope is that the tribe will campaign activities, and give public
talk within, and so far the feedback has been recognition to those whose ideas
positive,” she says. (Thinking about including you use.
telematics in your traffic safety program? See
page 84 for advice and best practices.) 2. Make it Fun. Organize a trivia contest
to keep employees motivated and
Commit to the Cause excited. Try posting a daily or weekly
traffic safety question for your em-
If you’re asking your employees to make safety ployees to answer. Employees who
come first in their minds, show them it’s first in answer correctly could be entered
yours. A strong management commitment to win a prize.
demonstrates how much you value your work-
force. Here are five ways to make sure your 3. Face Time. Technology may be
team understands you’re giving your full convenient, but never forget the
support to the traffic safety program: power of face-to-face communication.
Plan safety talks, seminars and casual
1. Walk the Talk. Be a good role model by prac- one-on-one discussions.
ticing the same safety routines and rules that
you require of your employees. 4. Clever Counts. When creating signs

2. Be Involved. Ensure you are actively involved or publications don’t be afraid to
in safety events, initiatives and safety meetings.
use clever catch phases or humorous
3. Money Matters. Any financial investment you
make to a support a new program is a clear graphics. Include pop-culture
indication of your commitment. Make employees
aware of what’s being done behind the scenes. references into your materials if it

4. Keep the Door Open. Encourage opportunities would be of interest to your workforce.
to have informal one-on-one discussions about
safety with your workers, and recognize workers 5. Keep Contact Regular. Send out regular
you observe working safely or correcting internal communications or emails with
deficiencies. g tips and facts.

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 69

5. Address Non-Compliers. While it’s important Get the Word Out
to focus and recognize your employees’ positive
safety performance, it’s also important to Set your new traffic safety program up for
manage those who are not following newly success by running an awareness campaign.
implemented safety rules. This will ensure that An effective campaign should communicate
your workforce understands that failure to a clear message, create awareness about
follow safety rules will not be tolerated. a specific traffic hazard and then modify
employees’ behaviour.
Be Prepared!
A kickoff event for your campaign can create
With every new initiative you should expect crucial momentum among employees that will
some resistance. Brainstorm and identify pos- keep your traffic safety program heading in the
sible roadblocks and solutions so you can be right direction. Edmonton, AB-based Westcan
ready for anything. When you are able to quick- Bulk Transportation took it one step further by
ly respond to concerns, it’s reassuring for em- making its launch event a family affair. Westcan
ployees to know you’ve given the issue some launched its “Actively Caring” program by hold-
thought and are prepared to handle problems. ing a family fun day for all employees and their
families, complete with safety demonstrations,
More pre-program launch tips: a driving simulator, activities for kids and a free
barbecue lunch. The program puts emphasis on
• Empower your employees by asking them to workers looking out for workers by exchanging
participate in the development of the new pro- safety advice and information in the spirit of
gram in some way. Giving individuals the sense caring for their co-workers.
that they have some control over the change
can go a long way to elevating worry and stress. Dan Columbus, Vice-President of Safety and
Environment at Westcan says it was important
• Be sure to give people plenty of notice before that the families of employees also understood
making any changes. Sudden surprises can the significance of the safety-based culture shift
make anyone feel uneasy. Give your employees they were making. “If we want to create a cul-
ample time to get used to what will be expected ture of actively caring for each other’s safety, it
of them. needs to start at home,” says Columbus. “You
don’t change your behaviour during a work-
• Help ease fears of not measuring up. This may
involve providing additional education, train- day—it has to continue at home too.” i
ing or support for some employees. Make
sure your focus is always on their successes, Check out “Anatomy of a Stellar
not failures. Awareness Campaign,” on page
72 for more of Westcan’s tips for
successful campaigns.

When you are able to quickly respond to concerns, it’s
reassuring for employees to know you’ve given the issue

some thought and are prepared to handle problems.

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

SAFETY INCENTIVE PROGRAMS

Getting it Right

Incentives can be a great way to create awareness,
increase participation and motivate your team to reach
your program goals. If an incentive program is on your
traffic safety to-do list, here are some helpful tips.

1. Positive Focus. A safety incentive 6. One Not All. Don’t penalize your entire
program should always focus on good team for the failure of one individual.
work practices and safe behavior, such as This can lead to resentment towards the
safety engagement and teamwork, which individual and animosity among your team.
encourage safety-related activities.
7. Lead Not Lag. For rewards, base your
2. Small but Mighty. Try to include a program on leading indicators (such as
number of small rewards available to number of near misses investigated or
a greater number of people instead of one completion of training or implementation
large reward for one person. of corrective actions within a specified
time frame), rather than lagging indicators
3. Easy Does It. Make your program easy (such as number of lost-time days, traffic
for your team to understand, and easy for infractions or MVAs). Incentives focused
you to manage. on lagging indicators can result in under
reporting in order to collect rewards, or
4. Survey Says? Try surveying your work- may penalize an employee when they are
force to gather ideas on the types of not at fault for an MVA.
rewards they would find meaningful. Be
sure to set parameters for their ideas or 8. Make it Doable. Set goals that are
provide a set of reward choices to pick from. reachable! Your team needs to feel they
have some control over whether they are
5. Keep the Momentum. Make sure your able to earn a reward.
incentive program doesn’t run out of gas!
Generate excitement and keep your team 9. Don’t Delay. Rewards are most effective
engaged by occasionally changing the when presented in a timely manner. Present
goals and/or rewards. the rewards publicly if possible.

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 71

Anatomy of

a Stellar Awareness Campaign

Strong leadership commitment, formal employee Diverse Communications.
accountability and a multi-layered communication Westcan communicated from many
strategy are just a few of the elements that helped angles to ensure the message was
Westcan Bulk Transportation’s distracted driving heard. As part of Distraction Avoid-
initiative hit the mark. Read on for more secrets ance Month, distraction observation
to successful campaigns. cards were sent to all terminals and
employees were encouraged to give
Set a Solid Foundation. a card to a distracted worker as a
Westcan held a safety “stand-down” friendly reminder to keep their mind
to reinforce the company’s commit- on task. “As well, we have distraction
ment to do nothing unsafe until it whiteboards in terminals and an online
can be made safe. “It was delivered Idea Exchange portal where employees
in person by our senior manage- submit questions and suggestions,”
ment team with every employee says Columbus. “We also post messag-
and owner-operator across the es and videos on bulletin boards and
company in attendance,” says Dan live feed TVs in terminals.”
Columbus, Vice-President of Safety
and Environment. “We also invited
employees to share any feedback
they might have in writing to be
reviewed and followed up on where
necessar y.”

Make an Impact (Circle).
Westcan made safety real by using a Circle of Impact diagram to
show that workplace injuries not only aff ect the person who is in-
jured, but also their families, friends, coworkers, fi rst responders,
the public and customers, among others. “This diagram was a key
to the effectiveness of the safety stand-down,” says Columbus. “We
have since implemented a permanent Incident Prevention Code of
Conduct & Acknowledgement that all new employees and contractors
must review with their supervisor and sign.”

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

Solidify Consequences.
To set the stage for accountability, West-
can asked employees to sign a Distrac-
tion Pledge and dedicate it to a loved one.
These pledges are displayed at terminals as
a sign of commitment to a distraction-free
workplace. Formal consequences were set
with a Zero-Tolerance Policy: any employee
issued a ticket for distracted driving will be
terminated. “This policy was announced at
our safety stand-down and is reinforced
in monthly safety meetings and employee
onboarding,” says Columbus.

Encourage Leadership Lean-in. Make it a Family Affair.
To walk the talk, company leaders at all levels Westcan knows safety starts at home. As
visited specific worksites to focus on distrac- part of Distraction Avoidance Month, a
tion avoidance. As well, each Wednesday West- newsletter and distraction resource kit
can holds a safety call with senior leaders was sent to employees and their families,
and safety employees from each terminal. which included a family distraction pledge,
“Vice-presidents are also on the call to support tips and resources about distraction
the importance of safety leadership,” says prevention with kids, and a teen quiz.
Columbus. “Ten minutes of the 60-minute call “We also held a colouring contest for
are dedicated to distraction avoidance, where children and grandchildren of employ-
leaders share best practices and ideas to ees,” says Columbus. “A winner was
eliminate distractions.” chosen from each age group and all
entries were published in our newsletter.”

Did you know?

In recognition of its innovative work-
place safety solutions, Westcan won
a National Gold Award in Canadian
Occupational Safety magazine’s Canada’s
Safest Employers annual competition.
Could your company be next in line
to win an honour like this for safety
excellence?

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 73

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.

L inamar Transportation, the delivery arm of
auto parts manufacturer Linamar, has a so-
phisticated measurement structure in place
to monitor incidents of its 90 trucks as they
deliver Linamar products to customers across North
America. In addition to an incident analysis process
that collects data about everything from date, time
of day, weather conditions and distance from drop of
each incident, the Guelph, ON-based company also
has a review committee to determine whether inci-
dents were preventable or non-preventable.
“We collect a great deal of data for each incident and
we have gotten very good at analyzing and using re-
sults to implement effective and targeted corrective
and preventative actions,” says HR Manager Michelle
Drew, who has managed the company’s transporta-
tion safety program for more than 10 years.
But it wasn’t always this way. Even the largest compa-
nies started at the beginning, and you can too! Drew
says she clearly remembers creating her first Excel
spreadsheet to begin gathering data. Fueled by g

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

Businesses collect data and get excited about it,
but then they don’t really know what to do with it.

—Chuck Pettinger, Process Change Leader, Predictive Solutions Corp.

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 75

the philosophy that “you can’t manage what you success of your initiatives and help you make
don’t measure,” she admits she may have been a decisions about where to allocate resources. It all
bit too ambitious at the start. “In the beginning it starts with a plan.
was very overwhelming. I went a little crazy col-
lecting a lot of tiny details about each occurrence,” “We coach our clients to create a data-use plan,”
she says. “The entire process was incredibly heavy says Pettinger. “First on the list is deciding what to
on the administrative side. We ended up with a collect, then we help them create a value proposi-
lot of statistics but no correlations. It was simply tion for that data and decide who to give it to.” The
too muddy.” Predictive Solutions software, called SafetyNet,
records data from inspections and on-site obser-
After refining their processes over the years, the vations to create a matrix of leading indicators
data is now used to make the smart decisions and predictions on future risk in real time.
that make the best possible use of resources and
keep employees safer. Drew’s advice for those just starting out is to keep
your plan simple. “Fancy software is not necessary.
Drew’s initial data overload approach, however, In the beginning, Excel is all you need to get
is all too common when companies start col- the job done. Define what you consider to be
lecting metrics, says Chuck Pettinger, Process an accident, for example, then do a good job of
Change Leader at Predictive Solutions Corpora- tracking each one, if only to measure frequency
tion, a Pittsburgh, PA-based software provider in a standardized formula, such as accidents per
which helps customers across North America re- million kilometres/miles,” she says. “This way
duce workplace injuries and death by predicting reasonable objectives can be set for annual per-
incidents before they occur. “Companies collect formance measurements. Then, build in a few
data and get excited about it, but then don’t re- general hypotheses and collect what you need to
ally know what to do with it,” he says. “Then they prove them or disprove them.” (For real examples
get less enthused and leaders slowly lose faith. I of how Linamar’s metrics structure helps them
see it all the time.” attain business goals, look ahead to page 83.)

So how can you ensure that your measuring mis- But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Before we
sion sets off in the right direction? Both Drew get into what you should measure and what to do
and Pettinger agree that the data you collect is with the data, let’s look at some metrics basics. g
only meaningful if it can be used to validate the

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

Types of Measurements lost workdays due to traffic incidents would be
considered quantitative data, and the results of
The most common reason for measuring any an anonymous suggestion box asking employees
health and safety program is to show positive how to make the workplace safer would be
improvements or gains. Tracking pre-defined considered qualitative data.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) can reveal the
overall value and relevance of health and safety A blend of both types of measurements creates
in the workplace. KPIs can be used to determine the strongest program evaluations, according to
how well your overall health and safety system the National Institute for Occupational Safety
is working. Measurements can also be used to and Health’s Guide to Evaluating the Effectiveness
highlight issues and proactively correct them. of Strategies for Preventing Work Injuries. “When
Frequent mechanical issues with fleet vehicles, both qualitative and quantitative methods are
for example, may be an early indication that used in an evaluation, an especially rich source
regular maintenance is not occurring or is of information is generated, because the two can
lacking in some way, or that drivers are not provide a check and a complement for each other.”
inspecting vehicles daily. It could also become
an indicator that if not dealt with Motor Vehicle Using the example above, when compared
Incidents (MVIs) could rise. against the lost workdays, the suggestion box
results could reveal some specific hazards that
One for the best places to start your measure- have been overlooked, or procedures that are
ment mission is to see how you compare to other not being followed.
companies in your industry. Insurance carriers
can be a great resource for information that can Leading and Lagging
be used for benchmarking.
Health and safety industry professionals often
Additionally, reach out to any safety colleagues debate the merits of leading and lagging indica-
you have within your industry who would share tors when measuring the success of programs
some of their own measurements. and initiatives. Most experts agree, however,
that a blend of both will produce a well-rounded
Qualitative and Quantitative and clear picture of your program. Here’s why:

When it comes to your traffic safety program, Lagging Indicators
there are many elements to measure and many
ways to measure. The challenge is to determine It is common for businesses to track measurements
what and how. In a very broad sense, measure- such as lost-time injury frequency, number
ments are divided into two categories: qualitative of accidents or near misses, WSIB premiums,
and quantitative. Simply put, quantitative employee and customer satisfaction. These are
measurements can be numerically measured, examples of lagging indicators, and they give a
and qualitative data cannot. The number of broad picture of a safety performance. g

Waiting for the damage to be done before addressing the risks
may send a message that worker health and safety isn’t a priority.

—Leading Indicators for Workplace Health and Safety, a guidebook by the Government of Alberta

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 77

These indicators often focus on the negative completed training, the number of workplace
or undesirable outcomes of health and safety or vehicle safety checks, number of workplace
that have already happened. While they demon- follow-up checks, frequency of near-misses
strate how effective a health and safety program observed by staff or management, mainte-
is over time, they do not explain why. Lagging nance frequency, delivery speed reduction (strict
indicators do not reveal why annual performance enforcement of speed limits), number of employee
numbers are trending upwards or downwards, interventions by management (to reduce speed,
or give any indication of issues that may have come to a full stop at lights/ railroads, etc.).
led to a problem. If your motor vehicle incidents
decreased last year, for example, was it a driver Leading indicators focus on current efforts
training refresher course that helped? Or towards health and safety and can be helpful in
perhaps your weekly maintenance schedule or explaining why your company is achieving goals
distracted driving awareness campaign? or missing the mark. Leading indicators become
a powerful tool when compared against lagging
Lagging indicators also take time to show any indicators. For example, if on a graph you can
positive or negative gains. Because they are show a reduction in accidents, injuries and WSIB
based on past performance, changes will take premium rates, and at the same time show an
months to show up in measurements. One increase in the number of workers trained,
month incidents may drop but then the follow- number of inspections and vehicle maintenance
ing month they are back to historical levels. schedules, you can directly correlate these
What happened in that month they went down? initiatives to a safer workplace. Impressive!

According to an Alberta Government guide en- Once you decide to focus on them, leading indi-
titled: Leading Indicators for Workplace Health cators are often easy measurements to obtain.
and Safety, tracking only lagging indicators can When looking at the percentage of employees
even be detrimental to a positive safety culture. trained, attendance records are likely easily
“Waiting for the damage to be done before available and can be tabulated quickly. Main-
addressing the risks may send a message that tenance records of fleet vehicles to determine
worker health and safety isn’t a priority. As well, average frequency should also be easy to collect.
focusing solely on negative outcomes may erode
worker morale and slow the drive for continuous Moreover, according to the Alberta Government’s
improvement.” guide, leading indicators can motivate and inspire
safe behaviour. “They evolve through the life of
Leading Indicators an organization. Where lagging indicators lose
their ability to motivate or influence measurable
Leading indicators, on the other hand, tend to safety performance improvement, leading
focus on the positive aspects of health and safety. indicators can be ramped up, or new, targeted
Examples include number of staff who have leading indicators can be introduced to advance
workplace health and safety.”

44% Organizations whose EHS performance at the
corporate level is measured mostly by lagging
indicators, with some leading indicators.*

* Source: National Safety Council Report: Transforming EHS Performance Measurement Through Leading Indicators

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

The Leading Leaders *

According to a National Safety Council survey of PROGRAM POINTER
the Mining, Construction, Manufacturing, and
Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services DIARY OF A SUCCESSFUL
industries, the major types of leading metrics METRICS COLLECTION PLAN
tracked at the corporate level are:
Keeping a diary or logbook as part
1 Behavior-based observations of your metrics collection process
Safe or unsafe behaviors can be valuable if the results are
unexpected, say the authors of the
2 Near-miss incidents National Institute for Occupational
Incidents with serious injury or fatality potential Safety and Health’s Guide to Evalu-
ating the Effectiveness of Strategies
3 Audits for Preventing Work Injuries. “The
Tracking overdue audit items, monitoring diary provides a convenient place to
the speed of closing action items record information about any
potential influences on the inter-
4 Training vention outcomes that were not
EHS training for workers, managers, executives taken into account by the exper-
imental design, including what is
5 Meetings taking place in the workplace— such
EHS committee, management review, as a change in senior personnel
action planning or work processes. Evaluators can
also track decisions made over the
6 Other actions course of the evaluation which might
Noncompliance, incident investigation, not be documented elsewhere.”
EHS ideas and suggestions

61% Organizations that say measuring EHS
performance using leading indicators is
extremely important.*

* Source: National Safety Council Report: Transforming EHS Performance Measurement Through Leading Indicators

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 79

Choosing What to Measure

Before collecting measurements, determine first if the data from
those measurements can be used for decision-making. For
instance, if an organization only measures WSIB claims it would
give no indication of what the root cause of those claims were.
However, if the data can be compiled with other measurements
it may become useful. Here are some tips to consider when
choosing what to measure:

1. Make it Easy. To maximize the volume and accuracy of your data,
measurements should be easy to collect in order to have high staff
engagement. User-friendly incident reporting forms or even a
fillable online option could encourage higher participation and
employee engagement. When staff are engaged the data collected
is more accurate.

2. Objective and Relevant. Measurements should be objective
and relevant to the goals of the organization. If the goal is to
reduce traffic accidents, focus on collecting data related to
number of traffic violation tickets drivers received, defensive
driver training participation rates and the roll-out of new driver
policies and procedures.

3. Make an Impact. Value is often seen in indicators that can show
negative impacts dropping year over year. Examples of these include
reduced motor vehicle accidents, drop in lost-time injuries and lower
WSIB premiums. These metrics can be incredibly valuable in display-
ing why it is necessary to ingrain safety policies and programs into a
company. These metrics help management see the benefits and the
impacts these programs can have on the bottom line.

4. Goal Driven. When deciding what to measure you need to figure
out what goal you are trying to achieve. When looking at lagging
indicators what are the areas that need improvement? What
implementations can be put in place to fix the problems the
company is experiencing? If training is an issue you may want to
start tracking employee training participation. Asking these kinds
of questions will lead you to find what strategies may work and
what leading indicators could be used to track these changes
against lagging indicators.

5. Quality not Quantity. When choosing what leading indicators to
track, start with only two or three. This way you can focus on a few
areas and are not overwhelmed with tracking and analyzing too
many types of data.

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

WHAT TO DO WITH THE DATA

Once you decide how to measure, what to measure and have your structure firmly in place to tabulate
the numbers, facts and information, the next step is doing something with it all. Remember, data is
only useful if it becomes a tool to help you achieve your goals.

Luckily there are many ways to analyse and present data. Here are two to consider:

TRENDS 73
60
January
February 35
March

18 12 9

Accidents Percentage of Staff Trained

Trend Tracking Create a Dashboard

The spreadsheets you have created can be Much like the dashboard of a vehicle, a data dash-
extremely powerful tools to look at statistics board is a way to track traffic safety metrics in
and patterns and display the information in real-time. This tool allows employees to see
easy-to-read graphs and tables. From these exactly where the company is at in certain per-
tabulated tables and graphs it is possible to track formance indicators. Typically, dashboards track
trends and gaps in the leading and lagging indi- indicators that are kept up-to-date and current.
cators. Trends simply show changes in a work- Injuries, incidents, lost time, sales, maintenance
place over time. Companies often use graphs to requests, kilometers driven, etc. can all be tracked
show if the trend is moving up or down. If using and put into a system that presents it and even
the example of car accidents and percentage of compares it to past days, months or years.
staff training if the graph shows accidents going
down while training percentage is increasing Dashboards are typically displayed in an easy-
over several months, it would show a potential to-read, visually pleasing format. They are often
correlation between the two trends. on safety boards or televisions in communal
areas of the organization so staff can easily see
Using trends can help to show workers monthly and understand the metrics. Dashboards can
snapshots of how their hard work and dedication be used showcase areas of success and areas of
is paying off. In the above graph the trending weakness within a specific safety program.
clearly demonstrates how the downward trend
of accidents is linked to the upward trend of The best dashboards fit on one screen or
staff training. This can give staff and executives page. You do not want to overwhelm staff and
quick indications of the effects certain policies management - give them a consistent and brief
are having on the lagging indicators. understanding of key metrics.

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 81

Telematics Telematics:

— at the Starting Gate The use of wireless
devices and “black
In-vehicle data tracking is gaining box” technologies to
popularity as companies realize how transmit data in real
valuable this real-time information can be.
time back to an
organization.

After getting complaints his drivers were unsafely tracked their whereabouts for safety, but drivers
driving too fast and following too close, Randy were vocally uncomfortable that the devices
Dignard, founder and president of Barrie, ON- would also track speed and many other elements
based Industrial Safety Trainers Inc., decided of their driving behaviours.
to install GPS tracking systems in all company
cars to monitor what was going on. Acknowledging the drivers’ discomfort, Quilley
advised that his client keep the focus on making
Dignard now gets notified about in-car infor- safety personal by putting the device results in
mation which has been very helpful to both the the drivers’ hands first. For the first few months,
business and to the employees themselves. “In monthly device reports were confidential and
addition to reminders about oil and tire changes, were only given to the employee to review.
the system will notify us and the drivers via email After three months the results were provided
or text if they are speeding, breaking harshly or to supervisor for analysis. “This gave drivers
accelerating too fast,” says Dignard. “It was the chance to review their stats in a non-threat-
surprising to see how many notifications we were ening way to see where they may need some
getting at first. But we were able to speak to our improvement,’” he says. “They were given the
workers about their aggressive driving habits. chance to change on their own before having
It took a few weeks for them to adjust, but now to review with their supervisor, which worked
we hardly get any warnings. Fuel economy and very well for this client.”
vehicle maintenance has improved as well.”
At Reliance Home Comfort, Manager, Health &
Alan Quilley, President of Safety Results Ltd. Safety Slafka Faitz is using a pilot approach to
agrees that telematics can be very beneficial, but gain buy-in to purchase black box technology
says that when introducing monitoring devices for all Reliance vehicles across Canada.
to workers, the tone you set from the beginning Currently 65 trucks are outfitted with telematics
can really make or break the program’s overall and have been gathering the data. “Already
success and impact on morale and worker we have seen that the trucks we are moni-
enthusiasm. He recalls one client he consulted toring have reduced their speed and driving
for had drivers working alone in remote areas. behaviour,” she says. “We have even noticed a
The GPS function of the telematics device fuel savings due to reduced idling.”

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

METiRnICMS otion

A glimpse into the data collection fast
lane: how Linamar Transportation
uses metrics to refine road safety.

Linamar performance stats for 2016:

55 incidents in total
38% were deemed preventable by the Incident Review Committee

This equates to three preventable accidents per million miles. How Linamar used
This is the metric Linamar uses to determine this information:
year-over-year performance improvement or decline.
1. Implemented defensive
g These stats include preventable and non-preventable incidents: driving and cargo security
training in 2017.
• T he highest frequency of incidents (22%) happened
in September, on a Monday between 6pm and midnight) 2. Implemented electronic
log books to reduce and
• Highest severity (cost) incidents happened in January control fatigue.
and September
3. Implemented individual
THE MOST COMMON TYPE OF INCIDENTS WERE: on-the-job evaluations
prioritizing drivers in the
26% Striking a stationary object highest risk categories
24% Struck by other vehicle (length of service) and
14% Cargo related focusing on slow speed
maneuvering in parking
63% Occurred at a speed of less than 25 mph lots/yards.

20% Occurred at a speed of 56-65 mph 4. Used stats to promote
73% Occurred 0-75 miles from the pick-up location awareness through postings
65% Occurred in clear and dry weather conditions and newsletters — for
example, most incidents
• Length of Service: 36% 10+ years and accidents occur in clear,
25% 3-5 years dry weather so drivers must
22% 3-12 months always be alert.

• Career Experience: 51% 10+ years 5. Used these stats to improve
19% 3-12 months the driver orientation
program (targeting the
3-12 month of service
and experience group).

En Route to Safety: How to Create a Traffic Safety Program — YOUR 8-STEP PLAN • 83

Walk Cycle Drive