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Driving for work can be deadly – but risks can be minimized

Free workshops help employers reduce risks of motor vehicle crashes
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Road Safety at Work has two free workshops coming up in June to help employers be road safety smart.

Motor vehicle incidents are the leading cause of traumatic workplace deaths and injuries in British Columbia with 19 workers dying on average every year and another 1,350 injured and missing time from work.

Some of these workers are those who drive for a living in a company vehicle, but many people also drive as part of their jobs, in their own cars, to go on sales calls or to make home visits, or site inspections. They too are at risk.

Road Safety at Work helps employers develop the controls they need to ensure their employees are as safe as possible when on the road. There is no cost for any of the services they provide, which includes workshops, webinars, online courses and a variety of other tools and resources.

There are three categories to think about for every drive, says Angelina Robinson, the Client Relationship Manager with Road Safety at Work. They are the journey, the driver and the vehicle.

The first question to ask is whether the journey is really necessary, says Robinson. With today’s technologies, many meetings can be done remotely. If the trip can be avoided, so too is the risk associated with it.

“But if the trip is necessary, the next question is whether driving is the only alternative.”

If it is, then Robinson says the employer should have an effective journey management plan in place to ensure the driver, the vehicle and the route chosen, including the time allowed to complete it, are the safest options.

Road Safety at Work has two free workshops coming up in June to help employers be road safety smart. On June 26, Robinson, along with her colleague, Rick Walters, will host a workshop in Cranbrook on building a stronger road safety culture in the workplace. The following day, June 27, the pair will be in Nelson leading a workshop on developing or improving an occupational road safety program.

“The Nelson workshop is like our Road Safety 101,” aimed at helping employers address road safety in their workplace, says Robinson. Whether they’re at ground zero, or have a decent plan in place already, this workshop helps them to further minimize the risk of motor vehicle crashes.

The Cranbrook workshop is best suited to employers who have a plan for road safety in place but are finding it challenging to motivate their employees to adopt safer driving practices.

Attendees at both workshops will receive templates and tools to help employees be safer when on the road.

“Everyone leaves the workshop feeling empowered to take action,” Robinson says.

To register for either workshop click here.

Also check out Road Safety at Work’s free webinar focusing on safety for employees who drive their own vehicles for work, coming up June 19.

Road Safety at Work is funded by WorkSafeBC and managed by the Justice Institute of BC with a mandate to decrease workplace motor vehicle associated deaths and injuries. Its vision is straightforward – to help reduce the number of people who are killed or injured in a motor vehicle crash while driving in the course of their work.

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