Choosing to be safe on the road, at work and at home

Recently, I attended two important annual meetings — the American Trucking Associations meeting and the National Safety Council Congress. As a safety professional, both meetings allowed me to catch up with my colleagues while getting updated on new safety developments and emerging issues.

At the Trucking Associations meeting, I was most intrigued by a survey it conducted a few months back that identified the top challenges its members are facing. Not surprisingly, one of the top five issues was the impact the US DOT’s new enforcement program, CSA, will have on carrier operations.

I have written many times before that CSA would become a “game changer” and, in fact, for the trucking industry it has become so. As freight demand is increasing, companies are anxious for more customers. However, companies with poor scores are being told that until they improve, customers will be giving their business to companies that perform better on safety.

At the conference, it was clear that a cottage industry of consultants and businesses has sprung up to help companies identify their safety weaknesses and improve their CSA performance. This help comes in the form of technologies capable of managing hours of service compliance to individual consultants skilled in improving safety culture and a company’s overall safety management program.

The demands of running a trucking operation can be overwhelming but the compliance requirements are the same whether a company has three power units or 30,000. The point is that solutions are available and many are affordable and within the reach of the small operator. To remain competitive, companies need to be mindful of their CSA performance and set a course to make improvements by either focusing time and attention on remedies or hiring someone who can help get them into a better safety position.

Home, community accidents on rise

Unintentional injury prevention is the main mission of the National Safety Council. It focuses on helping business and the public recognize the impact injuries/deaths have on business profitability and the wellbeing of families.

Surprisingly, the fastest rate of increase in preventable injury and death comes from abuse of prescription drugs, aka unintentional poisoning. We have all heard stories of people doctor-shopping, receiving highly intoxicating drugs and mixing drugs that unintentionally and tragically result in death.

In recent decades, workplace and motor vehicle deaths have been declining but home and community categories of death and injury have been on the rise. Other danger sources in the home include slips and falls. The challenge is how to create a better recognition of risk and then promote a sense of personal responsibility for oneself and one’s family that recognizes these risks and sets out to curb them.

Ladder safety, handrails in bathtubs, etc., are examples of measures that enhance safety. Adopting a mindset that says “this event can happen to me so I’m going to improve the odds by making the safe choice” is something we don’t often do. Always wearing a seat belt even when we drive the 10 minutes to the grocery store is a practice we all need to adopt.

These meetings provided me a sense of renewal and commitment to my safety journey and reminded me that there is still a great deal of work to be done to help us all be safer — whether it’s on the road, at our workplaces or in our homes. While we all can’t be at every conference that affirms our vocation, we can commit to making better choices and caring more about our personal and family’s well being.