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HotTopics Clock in, Rev up, Roll out Workplace safety doesn't end at the lobby by Ian MacNeill EACH YEAR, 24 BRITISH COLUMBIANS behind the latter is that, "for many employers, there's a disconnect," says Mark Oderman, WorkSafeBC's Industry and Labour Services manager. "They think their responsibility toward employees who use their own cars on the job ends with issuing reimbursement cheques for the kilometres they drive. But that's not the case." And it's because of this, stresses Hubbard, that employers need to buy into the new occupational road safety program for it to be successful, by understanding how its policies serve their corporate interests and by promoting the health and safety of their employees. "There has to be an executive will that evolves into a cultural response," he notes. "Which means one of our first jobs is to raise the level of consciousness with employers and get them well as input from England's to ask: Am I doing the most for Dr. Will Murray, one of the GETTING the people who drive for me?" world's foremost experts in STARTED Research shows that comoccupational road safety." The GETTING INTO gear with panies with highly developed program's bottom line: to give a road safety strategy is road safety programs already employers and workers – as easy as completing a in place can also benefit greatly whether they drive full- or parttwo-minute online safety audit at workerroadfrom the new program, says time for work – practical tools safety.com. The results to help reduce motor vehicle Hubbard. BCAA, for example, can be used to help plan incidents and save lives. experimented with several of and implement organizathe new strategies, according Key components include tional programs. The site to Ken Cousin, assistance vice new winter driving strategies, also talks about how to encourage employees president for BCAA's Road such as a Shift into Winter and management to Assist, and learned a valuable campaign, plus a Care Around "buy in" to the value of lesson. "Having a road safety Roadside Workers project road safety programs. policy in place is good. But you designed to reduce injuries also need to constantly comand fatalities at roadside work sites. At the heart of the initiative, though, are municate awareness of road safety with your two innovative, comprehensive programs drivers" – in a fresh, motivating and timely designed for the workplace: a "Fleet Safety" way. And that's where this new program can occupational strategy aimed at employers make all the difference, says Hubbard, with with professional driving fleets, and a "Grey an interactive website that provides tools and Fleet" strategy for employers of individuals resources, hands-on support for employers, who use their own vehicles while at work, plus regional workshops as well as consulting such as salespeople and employees required services for those who need assistance formuto attend off-site meetings. The rationale lating and implementing strategies. are killed in worker-related motor vehicle incidents, a statistic that WorkSafeBC and BCAA's Road Safety Foundation are determined to reduce with a new occupational road safety program. The three-year initiative is modelled on preferred practices from around the world in work and traffic safety, says its managing director Bill Hubbard, "as istock p40-41_HotTopics.indd 41 Streetegic Alliance DONNA WILSON, WorkSafeBC's vice-president of industry services and sustainability, explains why the company has teamed up with the BCAA Road Safety Foundation on a new road safety initiative, and what they hope the collaboration will achieve. WW Why is now the time to focus on this issue? DW: WorkSafeBC's mission is to ensure that workers and workplaces are safe and secure from injury, illness and disease — and work-related motor vehicle incidents are the number one cause of traumatic worker death in B.C. WW Why is WorksafeBC particularly well positioned to promote this initiative? DW: Given our mission, we have many ways to reach employers and workers with messages around road safety. These range from our direct contact with employers and workers in the field and our partnership with BCAA's Road Safety Foundation to our communications tools, including the WorkSafeBC website, employer/industry emailing lists and the use of paid media. WW What makes BCAA's Road Safety Foundation the right partner for this initiative? DW: The foundation brings with it both an understanding of, and expertise in, road safety issues — as well as extensive experience in the development and delivery of road safety programs and initiatives in the province. WW What message are you hoping to get across to those B.C. employers with driving fleets, or to those drivers who use their cars for company business? DW: Too often workers and employers don't associate driving with worker safety. But if an employer has employees driving as part of their jobs, that employer bears a responsibility to ensure they do so safely. Employers need to develop safe driving policies and ensure that their employees adopt safe driving practices. For more info on the new B.C. occupational road safety program, including details on its road safety toolkit and tips for implementing and maintaining safe-driving policies: roadsafetyatwork.ca WESTWORLD >> S P R I N G 2 0 1 2 41 1/26/12 2:56:54 PM

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