TEN STEPS TO EMPLOYEE SAFETY BEHIND THE WHEEL

To help keep your workers safe on the road — and reduce the risk exposure when they’re driving on company business, we’d recommend having them use these guidelines developed by the professional driver/editors at Edmonds.com:

1. Avoid the fast lane. Using the center or right lane on multi-lane roads gives drivers more escape routes if a problem arises that requires quick lane changes or pulling onto the shoulder. Most highway accidents occur in the left lane. Also, drivers are most conspicuous to law enforcement if they’re in this lane.
2. Keep scanning the area ahead. Instead of just staring at the car ahead, watch the traffic in front of that car as well. This increases your chance of seeing a problem while you still have enough time to react to it.
3. Beware of blind spots. Adjust your side and rearview mirrors to provide a seamless panoramic scene of the view behind you. But don’t rely solely on them. You should also look directly into the lanes beside you to avoid overlooking something left undetected by the mirrors. Also consider potential blind spots affecting other drivers, particularly truckers.
4. Get “racecar driver control” of the wheel. Maintain control of the wheel by moving your seat close enough to the steering wheel so that, with your arm outstretched and your back against the seat, your wrist can rest on the top of the wheel. This will keep your arms from tiring easily and put you in the best position to manage last-minute evasive maneuvers.

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5. Place your hands at 9 and 3. Instead of the typical way people drive, with one hand at 12 o’clock or both hands at the bottom of the steering wheel, use the 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock positions. This leads to better vehicle control, especially if you have to maneuver quickly to avoid a potential crash.
6. Judge drivers by their cars. Cars with body damage or dirty windows could indicate an inattentive driver behind the wheel. Also, a car that’s drifting in its lane might mean the driver is tired, drunk, or on the phone. Steer clear.
7. Know thy vehicle. Get in touch with your inner car. Pay attention to how it reacts in certain situations. Become familiar with the limits of your brakes and tires. How long does it take to stop when you apply maximum pressure? How much grip do your tires have? If you replaced your car’s original tires with a cheap set, you’ve probably reduced braking and handling capability.
8. Keep your vehicle in shape. Follow the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule to ensure that the vehicle will accelerate, stop, and steer when you need it. “Getting another 1,000 miles out of old tires” just isn’t worth it.
9. Nighttime might not be the right time. Traveling at night can help you avoid congestion on the roads, but it can also be a hazardous proposition. At night, you’re more tired, your field of vision is decreased, and you might have to deal with joyriding teens and drunks. If you’re out late, drive extra defensively after midnight when people leave bars and parties.
10. Consider high-performance training. Going to a high-performance driving school can be a great way to improve your driving skills. Understanding how to make your car do what you want it to do in emergency situations could save your life.

WORKPLACE FIRES: BE PREPARED!

Workplace fires and explosions kill 200 American workers and injure more than 5,000 a year, at a cost of $2.3 billion. The expanded use of space heaters during the winter season increases the danger of fire. To help keep employees safe, any business that’s required to have fire extinguishers on the premises and needs to evacuate people during a fire or other emergency must have an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) that meets specific OSHA standards. Required elements in an EAP include but are not limited to:

• Evacuation procedures and emergency escape route assignments.
• Procedures to be followed by employees who remain to operate critical plant operations before they evacuate.
• Procedures to account for all employees after an emergency evacuation has been completed.
• Rescue and medical duties for employees who are to perform them.
• Means of reporting fires and other emergencies.
• Names or job titles of persons to contact for further information or explanation of duties under the plan.

Businesses can also implement a workplace Fire Prevention Plan (FPP) that describes the onsite fuel sources (hazardous or other materials) that could trigger or help spread a fire, as well as the building systems, such as fixed fire extinguishing systems and alarms in place to control the ignition or spread of a fire. At a minimum, your FPP should include:

• A list of all major fire hazards, handling and storage procedures for hazardous materials, potential ignition sources, and the type of fire protection equipment needed to control them.
• Procedures to curb accumulations of flammable and combustible waste materials.
• Maintenance of safeguards on heat-producing equipment to prevent the accidental ignition of combustible materials.
• The name or job title of employees responsible for controlling fuel source hazards and maintaining equipment to prevent or control ignition or fires.

Employers required to have an EAP or FPP must provide emergency preparation and response training for employees. Even if you’re not required to prepare such plans, it makes sense to develop and enforce them.

ONLINE PORNOGRAPHY: EMPLOYER, BEWARE!

Failing to investigate the activities of an employee whose company computer contains pornography could leave your business wide open to a lawsuit.

A 2005 New Jersey case, Jane Doe v. XYC Corp., involved an employer who became aware that one of its workers was using his company computer to visit pornographic Web sites and share images with fellow employees. After the worker was tried and convicted of videotaping his stepdaughter nude and partially clad, the victim’s mother sued the company, arguing that its negligence in failing to investigate and report that the employee was viewing, downloading, and distributing child porn on his work computer led to the girl’s victimization. The state appellate court held that because viewing child pornography is a federal and state crime, the employer’s knowledge of this activity should have triggered a duty to investigate and report this misconduct to the authorities. Viewing online porn in the workplace is all too common. Consider these facts:

• Approximately 70% of Web traffic to pornographic sites occurs during work hours ( 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.).
• Some 2.8 billion pornographic e-mails go out every day.
• More than 75% of workers report having visited a pornographic Web site “accidentally” at least once, while 15 % admitted to 10 or more such visits.

Although possession of pornography is not a crime, possession of child pornography — including computer-stored images — is. At least seven states require technicians to report child pornography detected on workplace computers to law enforcement officials or risk facing individual criminal charges.

To remove employees’ expectations of privacy in their computer activities, we’d recommend putting them on notice that the company is free to inspect or monitor such equipment, and requiring employees to sign an acknowledgement that they’ve read and understand this policy.

What’s more, other courts might well rule that the Doe decision could cover other illegal activities by employees using their employers’ computers in ways that cause physical, financial, or other harm to third parties.