Auditing Against ANSI Z15 for a Fleet Safety

“Tune Up”

Philadelphia Chapter ASSEJanuary 31st, 2008

Session Overview

• Why fleet safety programs are not uniform, and why that is a good thing

• Introducing ANSI Z15

• Using ANSI Z15 as self audit tool

• The key sections of Z15

• Summary

Viva La Difference!

• Not all companies are the same, not all fleets are the same.– Regulations

– Legal precedents

– Special exposures to loss

– Special equipment or special cargo

– Highly motivated employees (finding new ways to get into trouble?)

What IS Common?

• All fleets care about:– prevention of collisions,

– protection of drivers,

– provision of appropriate equipment, and

– accountability through measurement of key metrics

And, Everyone Shares This…

Introducing ANSI Z15

• Z15 provides minimum requirements for workplace traffic safety programs

• Designed for use by any organization whose employees drive on the job.

• Final approval on February 15, 2006

Introducing ANSI Z15

• Z15 is significant in two ways:

–Scope:• Covers all workers who drive

• Covers all industries who operate motor vehicles

–Detail:• Comprehensive, but also Skeletal

Introducing ANSI Z15

• Since Z15 doesn’t conflict with existing regulations such as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR), it provides a complementary set of practices that can work in harmony with the regulations.

ANSI Z15 as Audit Tool

• The standard’s format lends itself to creating a self audit checklist to examine your current programs and practices.

The Core of the Standard

• ANSI Z15 separates fleet safety programs into five key areas:– Management Policies

– Operational Environment

– Driver Issues

– Vehicle Issues

– Incident Reporting and Analysis

The package also includes supporting information: Foreword, Definitions/glossary, Purpose statements

The Core of the Standard

VehiclesDriv

ers

Analysis/RecordsOperational Environment

A little thin, but the key issues are there to build on…

Managem

ent, Leadership, A

dmin, W

ritten Program

Its up to YOU to add the detail that is unique to YOUR operation….

Management Policies

• Z15 lists commonly included items:– Responsibilities and accountabilities

– Organizational safety rules

– Orientation and training

– Vehicle specifications, inspections and maintenance

– Reward and recognition

– Management program audits

Management Policies

• If your written program doesn’t include these items, you may want to investigate why…– they’ve been omitted (i.e. relevance, no

operational exposure, simple oversight, etc.) and

– whether your program would benefit from including them at this time.

Management Policies

If your organization has never documented its fleet safety program elements, Z15 provides an excellent starting point.

“Operational Environment”

• The interaction of the driver and the vehicle are critical to safe operation.

• How does your program address:– Proper use of restraints

– Driver condition affecting driving duties (i.e. no driving while physically impaired)

– “Distracted” or “Aggressive” driving

– Permissive use, routing & scheduling

Operational Environment

• How do you measure seatbelt usage at your company?

Operational Environment• “Distracted” Driving

– Cell phone use– Eating or drinking– Grooming, Smoking,

Reading– Passengers, children, pets– Use of technology (e.g.,

GPS systems and computers)

• Aggressive Driving– Speeding– Tailgating– Failure to signal – Running red lights/stop

signs– Weaving in traffic– Yelling– Making obscene gestures– Excessive use of the horn

Operational Environment

• Routing and scheduling practices should factor weather conditions, traffic congestion and detours are factored into estimated arrival times.

Operational Environment• “Operational environment” includes

management directives on when and how vehicles may be used for business or non-business purposes: – permitted personal use, weekend

driving, – rental car requirements (“is it OK to rent

a convertible sport sedan that offers less protection during rollovers?”) and so on.

Operational Environment

• Several sample policies are included with the standard to help organizations who do not presently publish policies dealing with the operational environment.

Drivers

• Drivers are the “heart and soul” of any fleet safety program. – Without drivers, vehicles would remain

idle.

– Consequently, this section may demand your greatest share of time and attention.

Drivers - Qualification• The methods of selecting, screening

and training drivers are vitally important to obtaining ideal results. – job description– written application – investigation of their driving history (i.e.

Motor Vehicle Reports)– measured against a company derived

benchmark of performance

Drivers - Training

• Initial and ongoing training of drivers should be tailored to fit the needs and exposures presented in your operations.

• Remedial training following collisions or near-miss incidents.

Drivers – Management of…

• While most companies have spent a lot of time on driver qualification and training, one area that many companies neglect is

“Driver Management”

Drivers

• Driver Management can include any process designed to ensure that policies and practices are being consistently followed by drivers.

One of my personal favorites =

Drivers – Management of…

• Behavior-safety reports,

• Supervisory observations,

• Driver profiling through MVR data

• Black box recorder data, and

• “How’s My Driving?” report hotline programs.

Andrew Salvadore, Asplundh• In first year, 25% reduction in claim

costs, 24% reduction in claims/100 vehicles

• 300% increase in behavioral observations

• As of 2006, 27+% reduction in claims frequency

Andrew Salvadore, Asplundh• Increased driver awareness.• Chronic “bad” drivers identified and disciplined

(e.g. retrained/skilled, demoted, terminated).• Reduced number of 800 calls as our driving

continues to improve.• Another means of recognizing and supporting

safe behaviors.

Drivers – Management of…• MVR Monitoring…ATRI study found

that moving violations are a predictable indicator of increased crash risk. – (i.e. an improper turn violation increased

the likelihood of being involved in a crash by 105% as measured against drivers with no violation).

– Some subscribe to automatic update or alert programs (unfortunately not available in all states).

Drivers – Management of…

• Programs like E-Driver File include risk modeling programs that can be tailored to include other elements such as:– driver tenure;

– past collisions;

– special weighting on certain types of “high risk” activities, etc.

Drivers – Management of…

• Regardless of the methods and programs your organization uses to identify “at-risk” drivers, it is the timely, proactive intervention with each affected driver that can dramatically reduce crash rates.

Drivers – Management of…

• Some fleets practice driver incentive, reward or recognition programs. – The manner in which these programs

are administered varies greatly, but if your culture feels that incentives are a key part to achieving safety results, then examining driver’s performance (while driving) might be appropriate.

Drivers – Management of…

• Your driver’s performance, and even the appearance of their vehicles, makes a very public statement about your commitment to safety and community service.

• Driver management is vital to success.

Vehicles

• Using the right tool for the job extends to fleet safety, too. – Vehicles should be ordered with

appropriate safety devices (i.e. extended mirrors, traction control, stability systems, etc.), and

– they should be matched to the job they must perform.

Vehicles

• Similarly, inspection and maintenance practices ought to be approached in an organized manner so that drivers will report any defects that could lead to a breakdown or accident.

Vehicles

• If your company employs a full-time fleet manager, you’ll want to work closely with them to confirm that this area has been adequately addressed.

Incident Reporting and Analysis• The effective management of

information about collisions can help diagnose needed enhancements to your safety program.

• Training on what to do after a collision, and the effective use of incident reporting kits (with or without cameras) can help assure that all critical information is collected.

Incident Reporting and Analysis

• Incident data can be used to:– Identify the preventability of collisions

– Issue recommendations that may save other drivers lives

– Create fleet safety incident rates based on miles driven

– Benchmark results with companies that are similar to your own

Incident Reporting and Analysis

• Linking crash data and other safety program data can help prioritize your opportunities for improvement: – a review of MVRs, EOBR data and safety

hotline reports for all drivers who have been involved in a collision may show patterns that can be used to predict future collisions.

– This analysis has been used by fleets to build “risk profiles” of drivers who may be “at-risk” of becoming involved in collisions.

Incident Reporting and Analysis

• Sample policies on motor vehicle incident reporting and formulas for calculating crash rates are provided with the standard.

Summary

• Auditing your current fleet safety efforts against an existing standard can help identify areas for potential improvement.

Summary

• Once you’ve completed the self audit, make it an urgent priority to follow up on any deficiencies that have been discovered.

Summary

• If you need help, either during the audit or during the follow up period, remember that you have support available from:– your company’s insurance provider(s),

– your current safety vendors and

– your peers within ASSE

and1-888-603-6987