Safety Is a Choice We Make

Posts Tagged ‘school bus safety’

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!

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!

National School Bus Safety Week

Monday, October 23rd, 2017

National School Bus Safety Week is an educational program that encourages students, faculty, parents, and anyone interested to learn about and spread the significance of school bus safety. This week is important for publicizing the safety procedures and dangers associated with school bus transportation.

National School Bus Safety Week takes place every year during the third week of October. This year, October 16th through 20th was National School Bus Safety Week, and Trinity participated by practicing and reviewing school bus safety! This year’s theme was “Stop on Red”, a reminder to always stop when a school bus’s stop sign is out and the red lights are flashing.

Trinity Transportation’s school bus drivers and aides attended Special Saturday on October 14th to kick off National School Bus Safety Week. The day consisted of different classes and training focused on children with special needs, including bus evacuations, learning about children with different disabilities, positive approach to behavior management, and team building strategies.

School bus safety is extremely important, not only for students and bus drivers, but for parents, automobile drivers, and pedestrians. For more information about school bus safety, check out our article!

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