By Matthew Olphin, CPCU, CSP, ARM, Director, Glatfelter Public Entities Risk Control & Education
Given all that water and wastewater operators are up against, having one of your crew members back into a pole may be one of the last things you’re worried about. However, sometimes it’s the less-obvious hazards that lead to incidents with big costs—like drivers backing into parked vehicles, trees, or stationary equipment.
In fact, Glatfelter’s claims data shows that drivers striking stationary objects, like buildings, signs, or barriers, is a top claim for many public entities and a type of collision that is completely preventable.
Vehicles are essential to your operations, and even a “seemingly small” incident can leave your organization down a vehicle, leading to major challenges in your operations.
Considering the frequency of fixed object strikes, it’s worth reminding drivers and operators about these 8 best practices to help them avoid them.
- Be Mindful of Limited Visibility: Blind spots can make backing vehicles, and especially larger water and wastewater vehicles, potentially hazardous—so it’s crucial to train on these operations and avoid backing, when possible.
- Avoid Backing: Strive to make your first move forward. Train drivers to pull through or back into parking spots so they can avoid backing, by pulling forward, when leaving. This allows for greater visibility when leaving a parking spot.
- Use spotters: Consider using a spotter during any circumstance where a vehicle is forced to maneuver in an area with reduced clearance. Both spotters and drivers should be trained on best practices, like never having a spotter between a moving vehicle and stationary object and maintaining eye contact and communication between driver and spotter.
- Protect your fixed objects: Help make fixed objects at your facilities more visible by adding markers, like impact resistant bollards, an orange flag, or tall fencing near your AC unit.
- Circle of safety: Before driving, consider conducting a circle of safety check that includes a complete walk-around of the vehicle to identify potential hazards above, below, in front of, behind, or to the sides of the vehicle.
- Slow down: According to the NHTSA, speeding affects your ability to drive safely in all situations—and was a contributing factor in 29% of all traffic fatalities in 2022.
- Use tech as a tool, not a crutch: Understand the capabilities and limitations of any vehicle cameras or sensors—and know how to safely maneuver the vehicles without them in the event of a malfunction.
- Develop policies, procedures and guidelines: Have clearly defined expectations for drivers related to backing and fixed object strike prevention, including ongoing training.
Some disasters, accidents, and operational delays are completely out of your control. However, by taking accountability for manageable situations and circumstances—like your vehicle operations—you could make an instrumental difference in avoiding unnecessary costs and challenges and, most importantly, keep your team and community members safe.