Safety Is a Choice We Make

Posts Tagged ‘safety meeting’

Safety Is a Choice We Make

Thursday, January 30th, 2020

2020 is here and we are continuing to make safety our priority! This month’s safety meeting was focused on reviewing some important topics from the end of 2019 and discussing student/passenger safety inside and outside of the bus along with some critical parts of pre-trip inspections. The overall theme of the meeting was staying focused and minimizing distractions of any kind.

The agenda started with a discussion about vehicle preparations in winter weather and how extra time is needed to prepare for the day’s driving. It is imperative that snow and ice are removed from the vehicle – especially windshields and windows – before departure. Any sort of debris can cause impaired vision and distractions will driving.

When on the road, it is important for drivers to be aware of their environment. Even in situations where there is seemingly no risk of danger, drivers must be on the lookout and always anticipate something happening. Most situations, when reviewed, have an identifiable “critical decision point” that was made, and if the choice was different, a different outcome would have been achieved.

Another important topic covered was student safety management. This encompasses the safety of the students prior to getting on the bus, when they are on the bus, and when they exit the bus to go to school or home. Drivers are trained to watch where the students are walking at all times, and if they can’t see the students, to not move the bus. They are instructed to clear their dangers zones, make eye contact with students as they cross in front of the bus, and to watch for oncoming traffic that may put the students in harms way.

Part of keeping students safe includes doing child/passenger checks. Child/passenger checks are to be done by both the driver and the assistant after the end of each route and again at the bus yard. This procedure prevents students/passengers from being left unattended. We are committed to ensuring all of our passengers are kept safe on a daily basis. At our January meeting, a child/passenger check quiz was distributed to test and review employees’ knowledge on this procedure.

Some of our Wyandotte safety pin recipients

At the end of the meeting, employees who have had no preventable accidents or injuries for 1, 2, or 3 years received a safety pin. By eliminating distractions, it’s possible to achieve zero fatalities, zero unattended children, zero preventable accidents, and zero preventable injuries. Our employees are committed to putting safety first and making the roads safer for our communities. We commend all of our employees for everything they do to keep our passengers safe!

Stay Alert – Stay Safe

Monday, December 10th, 2018

Throughout the course of 2018, we’ve held safety meetings every month to educate our employees and review important safety material. In November, we focused on driving conditions and how to be a proactive and defensive driver. The safety message for our meetings was “Look farther up the road. Stay focused on your driving. Think ahead and be ready.”  To go along with the November safety message, we started off the meetings by reviewing LLLC Defensive Driving:

Look ahead

Look around

Leave room

Communicate

We advise our drivers to look 15 seconds ahead at all times (equals out to one city block), focus on what is happening up ahead, identify hazards early, slow down, and avoid panic stops. By practicing these habits, it gives drivers extra time to avoid accidents. Drivers should be changing their focus every two to three seconds, making them aware of their surroundings so they can anticipate problems, react timely, and remain alert. Leaving room and maintaining a cushion of space all around the vehicle gives drivers extra time to avoid collisions. The easiest place to leave room is in front of the vehicle. Drivers communicate by making sure other drivers and pedestrians know where they are, use signals and horn to communicate intentions, and make eye contact.

Changing seasons leads to changing driving conditions. It’s important to be aware of hazardous driving environments, watch for changing road conditions, and to drive to match the conditions of the road. Be aware of roadways with soft shoulders and stay in the lane at all times. With winter approaching, the precipitation and weather can cause adverse driving conditions. Slowing down is important when the roads could be slick and if visibility is low. Defensive driving comes into play when the weather changes the conditions of the road – look ahead, look around, leave room, and communicate.

The meetings ended with local CSC updates from general managers and maintenance, then company updates. November’s safety meetings provided vital information that will help our drivers keep our roads and communities safe this winter. At Trinity, we strive to practice safe and defensive driving every time we are out on the road!

Safety Starts Here

Tuesday, October 30th, 2018

For the safety meetings this month, each of our general managers led the meeting at their terminal. Per usual, the meetings started with local news and updates (operational and maintenance), then the first topic covered was preventing a rollaway. A rollaway is when a vehicle moves without the driver in the seat, which can happen when drivers are distracted and do not set the handbrake/parking brake. The next topic of discussion was pedestrian/bicyclist awareness and safety. We always teach our drivers to “Be A.W.A.R.E.”:

Always make a complete stop before turning

Watch for pedestrians’ body language and if they are distracted

Anticipate the direction of the pedestrian

Right-of-way always goes to pedestrians

Eliminate blind spots and establish eye contact

Our company’s safety performance key performance indicators (KPIs) were reviewed, first overall then by terminal. The GMs went over their terminal’s performance feedback from the different programs we use to track performance and discussed where they are at in relation to their goals.

The general managers did an awesome job conducting the safety meetings this month. Our employees reviewed and learned important information they will take with them every time they’re on the road!

Putting Safety in Every Stride

Tuesday, October 2nd, 2018

September’s safety meetings took place the week of September 24th and provided important information for our drivers and aides. The meetings were led by Chief Operating Officer Dave Holls and began with local updates from each terminal’s general manager.

After the local terminal updates, Dave delved into the topic of slips and falls. Slip, trip, and fall hazards can occur in virtually every type of workplace. Injuries that can occur due to these hazards are sprains, strains, bruises and contusions, fractures, abrasions, and cuts. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, slips, trips, and falls make up the majority of all work-related injuries. There are 95,000,000 lost work days per year due to these incidents and they account for 15% of accidental deaths and 25% of all reported injury claims. Slips, trips, and falls, can be avoided by taking extra caution, being aware of your surroundings, and fixing anything you see that is a hazard. It is also important to walk defensively and wear proper shoes.

The next topic discussed was danger zones of the school bus. The entire perimeter around the school bus is a danger zone, with the most dangerous zones being the left and right sides of the rear and the area in front of the nose of the bus. This is why it’s imperative that our drivers teach students the proper way to behave in and around the bus. The best way to exit the bus is to walk out 15 feet from the door to a sidewalk, then turn in the direction you need to go. If something falls/drops in front or around the bus, students are to tell the bus driver before picking it up. Our bus drivers are taught to be extra aware and to always check their mirrors and surroundings, and to do head counts every time students enter and exit the bus.

The meeting ended with safety key performance indicators, performance feedback, and employee handbook updates. With the start of the school year under way, we are ready to make this our best year yet!

Safety Rules Are the Best Tools!

Tuesday, May 29th, 2018

Our safety meetings for May were conducted the 21st through 26th and were packed with vital information for our drivers and aides! The meetings were executed by Dave Holls, chief operating officer, and Carl Ingram, Detroit area safety director. Our safety meetings always start with a little introduction then local news and updates from each terminal’s general manager and maintenance department.

After the local updates, Dave talked about distracted driving and showed a news video regarding a recent school bus accident in New Jersey. This horrific accident was caused by a driver who was recklessly driving on the interstate, and is an instance of what could happen when someone is driving distracted. It is not worth the risk. This is why our parent company, National Express, implemented the Target Zero campaign in February. Target Zero is the next phase of our Driving out Harm program and was put in to effect to eliminate fatal accidents from our company. Target Zero is a call to action that encompasses all of our efforts to reduce distracted driving and make the roads safer for our communities.

To piggy-back off of safe driving habits, Dave discussed performance feedback for the month of April. After Dave went over the numbers, Carl reviewed the Driving out Harm program and reiterated the Golden Rules for our drivers (they’re listed in this blog post). Carl then addressed our company’s safety performance KPIs (key performance indicators) for the month of April and talked about the heat risks of summer as the new season approaches. He covered the symptoms of heat exhaustion, heat stroke, hyperthermia, and dehydration and how to prevent them. Carl also mentioned how there will be more people on the roads since school will be out soon and discussed different ways drivers can be more alert to the extra bicyclists, pedestrians, cars, and motorcyclists.

An acronym our company uses to ensure safe driving habits is LEFTS:

Let others know your intentions by signaling

Ensure oncoming traffic is clear; do not rush

Fully check your blind spots by leaning forward and backward (rock and roll)

Turn only when you are sure there are no pedestrians in or about to enter the intersection

Stay alert; look around and recheck your mirrors during your turn

Summer is also the season of roadside inspections by Michigan State Police, so Carl covered the various responsibilities drivers have, including carrying their credentials at all times, completing thorough pre-trip and post-trip inspections, and being extra aware of their surroundings.

To finish the presentation, Dave returned to remind drivers of our upcoming company activities. First is attendance bingo, where employees get a stamp for every date on their card for which they have perfect attendance during the month of May. Once an employee has a bingo, they turn in their card and have three chances to win awesome prizes, the ultimate grand prize being a 55” Smart LED TV with a Blu-Ray player and complete sound system! Second is our first annual Detroit Tigers company outing, which is taking place on June 2nd. If you’re at that game, keep a look out for a large group with purple shirts – that’s us! And lastly, Dave announced Trinity’s 22nd annual company picnic, where we have food, fun, and prizes!

We’re excited for the fun things ahead and to continue with our safety mission!

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New Dedicated Charter Center

Trinity/Durham Transportation is thrilled to announce our Dedicated Charter Center located at 24500 Van Born Road, Dearborn Heights, Michigan.

Our Charter Center accommodates the needs of our clients who travel at any time throughout the day.

There are no time restrictions that require us to work around existing home to school routes. 

Contact – Reservations@TrinityTransportaton.com

 

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