New website drives worker safety on road

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RoadSafetyAtWork.ca is a new online toolkit for employers with workers who drive on the job. It uses a five-step approach to safer workplace driving, including tools, tips, guidance, examples, and best practices – launched by WorkSafeBC in partnership with the BCAA Road Safety Foundation.

To find out more, I contacted one of the project collaborators: Brian Best, director of Warehousing & Distribution for London Drugs. He’s been managing on-road employees at London Drugs for the past 22 years and managed driver operations and fleet maintenance at Federal Express and Purolator in the Toronto area for eight years.

Brian Best, Director of Warehousing & Distribution for London Drugs Ltd.

Brian Best, Director of Warehousing & Distribution for London Drugs Ltd.

“What I especially like about the website is how you can follow the five key steps to assess your current competencies and then channel your efforts for improved fleet safety progressively, over a period of time,” said Brian, who in 2010 joined the Technical Advisory Committee of the Occupational Road Safety Project.

“You can start with an online ‘2-minute safety audit’ and then a ‘Risk Assessment’ to understand how your company currently manages safe practices and culture for workers on the road,” he said. “In performing these self-assessments you can identify areas where your existing practices may be lacking compared to international benchmarks for best worker road safety.”

Brian said the new website is “an agreed-on set of preferred practices that we feel will work for all BC employers” – stemming from what the TAC learned from talking with BC industry and evaluating what’s been adopted in other jurisdictions.

“Because such a variety of organizations participated in the development of the new website, it is targeted to support a wide range of organizations and types of users: large and small, public and private, new to road safety OR with a well-established road safety program.”

Thanks to Brian for sharing his story – and congratulations to the collaborators. Check it out – and let me know what you think.

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