Safety Coach
Call a Great Safety Game
A coach is often thought of as someone who brings out the best in others. Say hello to Kenny Ray, our special guest and coach for a free online learning session at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 10. Ray is a risk consultant with Cline Wood, a Marsh & McLennan Agency company, and a former Texas Ranger.
He will speak on the importance of investing in frontline managers and offer tips to cultivate their communication skills. Coaching the Coach: Register to attend now.
During this session, Ray will discuss the critical impact frontline managers have on coaching employees. He will explain why building a company-wide driver safety program depends on consistency and a uniform process. He will talk about how frontline managers who engage with drivers can best prepare them to safely navigate the roads, no matter the time of day, the type of equipment they are operating or the conditions.
Take what you learn back to your location. Become the “go-to” guy or gal for support and assistance. Steer your employees to be at their best behind the wheel, whether on the job or off. After all, the best managers are coaches too.
Tailgate Talk
Plan for a Super Celebration
The big game is Sunday, Feb. 13. Many of your employees will attend watch parties or host friends and family members to celebrate the occasion. Food and alcohol are often served at game-day parties, not only in the hours leading up to kickoff but also well into the evening. A little too much fun quickly can turn into a catastrophe when you don’t take precautions.
Remind those who intend to drink to plan ahead for a safe ride home. In 2020, nearly 1,000 people were killed in crashes on Texas roads involving a driver under the influence of alcohol, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. Alcohol-related crashes tend to spike on weekends.
What about work on Monday morning? An employee who shows up with a hangover still is impaired. Use this timeline to demonstrate at your location how blood alcohol levels can remain elevated long after an individual has stopped drinking. Get a ready-made safety talk to explain how BAC levels can affect performance on the job or behind the wheel.
Take this opportunity to reiterate how off-the-job incidents can impact the workplace. One moment of impairment – one crash – can result in absenteeism due to injury, lost productivity and higher insurance premiums, whether that crash involves an employee or family member.
According to research from the National Safety Council, 85% of medically consulted injuries suffered by U.S. workers in 2020 occurred off the job. In Texas, one person is injured every 2½ minutes in a vehicle crash. Speeding and impairment have contributed to rising crash fatality rates throughout the pandemic. Share this reminder: You do not have to serve alcohol to have fun. Serve mocktails instead:
On the day of the big game, let’s work together to ensure all of the hard-hitting is reserved for the field.