Vehicle Workplace Safety
Welcome
Noel Facey
Canada Safety Council
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• How safe are we in our Vehicles?
• Did you know that your children are 16
times safer in a school bus than in your
vehicle and we worry about school bus
safety.
• The safest way to travel is by plane, but a
lot of people are scared to fly.
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• OH&S Safety is the big topic for all
governments and businesses for their
employees.
• How to safely do this and do that.
• The proper way to lift
• The proper way to handle certain materials
• The proper equipment that must be worn.
• You can not even wash the floor without
putting out the proper safety signs.
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• Then we take the same employees and
turn them loose in the most unsafe
environment in the world with little or no
training.
• Most employees spend anywhere from a
half to three hours in their vehicle each
day getting to and from work, at times in
the most dangerous driving conditions that
you could imagine.
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• Let’s look at some stats that will show just
how unsafe you are in your car compared to
your out of car Work place.
• Vehicle Deaths:
• In 2001 there were 2778 motor vehicle deaths
in Canada
• 232 deaths per month
• 54 deaths per week
• 8 deaths per day
• 3 deaths per hour
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• Vehicle Injuries:
• In 2001 there were 221,158 motor
vehicle injuries in Canada.
• 18,249 per month
• 4,253 per week
• 610 per day
• 25 per hour
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• The alarming thing about those stats is that they have
not improved much and may have gotten worse since
then.
• If we look at the period from 2001 to 2004 using the
2001 figures, this is what it looks like:
• Total Vehicle Deaths for the 4 year period
• 11,112 people dead or the population of Truro, Nova
Scotia
• Total Vehicle Injuries for the 4 year period
• 884,632 people, 80% of the population of Nova Scotia
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• When we compare these figures to the
deaths and injuries in the workplace it
becomes very apparent where you are
the safest.
• However, if you are spending two to
three hours per day in your car, what
are the chances of you being killed or
injured?
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• When we consider all the courses we take
at work to be safe, why do we not take the
training and actions necessary to stay safe
in our vehicle?
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• Now for the upsetting news:
• 85% of those deaths and injuries did not
need to happen because the crashes
where preventable.
• That means that 9445 of those people did
not have to die.
• And it also means that 751,937 of those
people did not have to be injured.
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• If we as a society can prevent these terrible
deaths and injuries in motor vehicles, why
aren’t we?
• If it was happening in our out of vehicle work
place it would have been dealt with long ago.
• Besides the cost in Death and Injury , there is
the individual and societal cost in DOLLARS.
• Therefore, if it was happening in the work
place, most organizations, businesses and
governments would be bankrupt.
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• This poses a huge problem for people in the
vehicle safety world.
• Why do people want to do everything they
can to be safe at work, home, school, etc but
not in their vehicle?
• And what can we do about it?
• Lets look at the “WHAT IF” and some ways
that we can maybe change things to make
you obey the rules and be safe in your
vehicle.
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• Education:
• All new Drivers must take a minimum of 6
months of driver training three-quarters of which
must be in the vehicle before getting their
license.
• All new drivers are only allowed to drive on
secondary highways during daylight for the first
two years.
• All senior drivers over the age of 65 are only
allowed to drive on secondary highways
between the hours of 10:00am and 2:00pm.
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• All Senior Drivers over 65 must complete a
senior’s driving course every year to retain
their license.
• All Drivers must take a retraining course
and be retested every five years to retain
their license.
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• Enforcement:
• Police will have zero tolerance for speeding: first
offence for speeding you will lose you car for 1
month, plus storage and towing charges and 6
points on your license.
• Second offence for speeding is loss of car until
you have taken a driving course and been
retested for your license, plus storage and
towing charges.
• Third offence loss of license for 5 years.
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• For causing a traffic crash, loss of license
for one year, plus retraining and testing.
• Any traffic offence while impaired will
result in loss of vehicle and license for life.
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• Safety Regulations in Vehicle:
• Seat restraints must be worn at all times or
vehicle will not move.
• Eating, smoking, talking, singing, or other
disturbing activities will not be allowed or
the vehicle will not move.
• Mechanical, electrical or battery operated
devices are not allowed or the vehicle will
not move.
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• All occupants must wear full helmets and
full body armor while in the vehicle or it will
not move.
• All your activities in the vehicle will be
monitored by video camera.
• Have a nice safe day and enjoy your drive.
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• Now lets Look at Reality
• What can we do to improve this
Vehicle Safety Problem?
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• We need to look at the CAUSE.
• What is the Major Cause of Vehicle
Crashes in Canada today?
•Inattention
• This means the problem is with you
and me.
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• If the problem is with you and me, then
we should be able to fix it.
• What will be our FOCUS?
• To get ourselves and our passengers
from point “A” to point “B” safely.
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• We are now going to look at three areas
that drastically affect our Vehicle Safety
when we are driving.
• The ENVIRONMENT
• The VEHICLE
• The DRIVER
The Environment
Light
Road
Weather
Traffic
Light Conditions
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•
•
•
•
Dawn, Daylight, Dusk, and Night
Bright Sunlight, Sunglasses and visor
Other drivers headlights, front and back
Your lights can you see with them?
Can you be seen?
Weather Conditions
Rain
Snow
Fog
Sun
What is an ideal driving day?
Freezing Rain
Wind
Road Conditions
Snow Covered
Frost Heaves
Ice
Curves
Black Ice
Blind Crests & Hills
Pot Holes & Ruts
Water Pools
Traffic Conditions
Mix of Traffic
City or Rural
Night-time or Day-time
Time
of day
Time of year
Week
Day
Or
Week
end
The Vehicle
Are you prepared for Summer and
Winter?
• Tune-Up
• Remove all frost, fog and snow before
starting
• Mirror Adjustment
• Emergency Equipment
• Brakes------ABS/Regular
• Salt plays havoc----Wash Vehicle frequently.
• Clean windows and lights frequently
The Driver You
Are you ready for the driving Task?
SAFE System
• See
- Eye Lead
Time…Following
Distance
• Anticipate
• Find
• Execute
Driver Conditions
What causes you to be inattentive?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tired, Fatigued, Medication,
Alcohol & Drugs, Nervous
Illness, Over the counter drugs
Irritated, In a Hurry, Aggressive
Inexperienced, Calm, Relaxed
Confident/Over Confident
Defective Eyes/Hearing
What would you do?
• If your Brakes Fail
• If your Accelerator Sticks
• If your Vehicle stalls on intersection
turn
• If your Hood flies up at 90 km/hr
• Stuck in snow---no shovel, no salt, no
sand
• SHOULD YOU TRY TO PUSH
VEHICLES?
The Safety Zone
Attitude
Common Sense
YOU
Responsible
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• In Summary
• If Inattention is the major cause of Vehicle
crashes which cause death and injury.
• And Inattention is caused by you and me.
• What will be our future focus to eliminate the
85% of crashes that are totally preventable?
• In reality the solution is not up to the Police,
Transportation, Safety people, or
Government, it is up to us and the way we
drive.
Vehicle Workplace Safety
• Thank you for attending the Conference
and this Seminar.
• Do you have any questions?
• Your Safety is your
responsibility.
• “Remember, the life you save
may be your own.”